The Risk of Eating Fish

Type-2 Diabetes researchers have long been stumped over whether eating fish reduces the risk of developing Type-2 diabetes. Some studies show that it increases the risk of the condition, while others show that it decreases the risk.

A Chalmers University of Technology study could possibly explain the controversy. The study compared blood samples and diet questionnaires of 842 people. Half of the participants developed Type-2 Diabetes after about 7-years. This revealed that the consumption of fish had no effect on the diabetes risk. That was followed by another study using a new data-analysis method, which screened out the effect of environmental pollution. This allowed to see that fish itself does help prevent Type-2 Diabetes.

Those participants who ate a lot of fatty fish like salmon or herring, also had high levels of environmental pollutants in their blood.  These fish are most likely to accumulate pollutants such as DDT or PCB, both of which have been tied to an increased risk of Type-2 Diabetes.  To check on the on the purity of the fish you are eating go to the website seafood.edf.org.