New research in Europe and the United States shows that seafood consumption benefits the health of lungs in children, the uterus and hearing in older adults.
The four new studies were published in the August issue of the PUFA and Fats of Life e-newsletters.
Two European studies reported that middle-aged and older adults who ate at least 3 ounces of fatty fish a week were 30 percent less likely to develop heart failure or acute coronary syndrome compared to those who did not eat fish.
In the United States, studies show that healthy toddlers who consumed different amounts of omega-3 DHAs (docosahexaenoic acids) found that those in the highest DHA group (130 milligrams daily) had significantly fewer respiratory illnesses — 17 percent compared to 46 percent — than the group that received unsupplemented formula.
Premenopausal women may also benefit from higher intakes of omega-3s. A large U.S. epidemiological study of 1,000 women showed that those with higher intakes of omega-3s had a 22 percent lower chance of developing endometriosis.
“These findings are especially intriguing because the treatment option for endometriosis are limited and often undesirable,” said Joyce Nettleton, PUFA and Fats of Life editor. “If proven effective in controlled intervention trials, omega-3s would offer non-invasive treatment without side effects.”
Also, for the first time, research in older adults linked fish consumption to a significantly lower chance of developing age-related hearing loss. In one study, those who ate fish at least one or two times a week experienced half the rate of progressive hearing loss over five years compared with those who didn’t eat fish.
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