American Heart Association underscores benefits of fish

03/10/05 The U.S. Tuna Foundation (USTF) today said that new dietary guidelines for children and adolescents issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics underscores the important health benefits of canned tuna and other fish for children during their formative years.

Published in the September 27, 2005 issue of the journal Circulation, AHA's new "scientific statement" encourages children and adolescents to eat 2 servings of fish weekly, especially the most commonly eaten varieties that are low in mercury -- canned light tuna, salmon, shrimp, pollock and catfish.

In making this recommendation, AHA reviewed the most current science on the prevention of cardiovascular risk factors beginning at a young age and concluded "fish is an important food with growing evidence of potential benefit." This is because fish, such as canned tuna, is rich in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which are important for child growth and development and associated with a lower risk of heart disease later in life. Omega-3 fatty acids are abundant in most seafood and especially in cold-water varieties like tuna, one of the most omega-3 rich fish species.

Based on an analysis of what American children are currently eating, AHA's "scientific statement" reports that fish, along with fruits and vegetables, are often inadequately consumed by children and adolescents. For this reason, AHA's dietary recommendations for children aged 2 years and older stress a diet that primarily relies on fish, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low- fat dairy products, beans and lean meat.

To address the obesity epidemic, which now affects an estimated 9 million children aged 6 to 19 years (15 percent of all U.S. children), AHA's new guidelines call for the consumption of nutrient-dense foods, such as canned tuna. Canned tuna is low in fat and very low in calories compared to other protein sources. There are 116 calories in a 100-gram serving of canned tuna packed in water compared with 208 calories in the same serving of turkey.

"The overall benefits of fish for growing children, especially those fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and lean protein like canned tuna, have never been more apparent," said Barbara J. Moore, Ph.D., president and CEO of Shape Up America! and a member of the Tuna Nutrition Council, which advises the U.S. Tuna Foundation (USTF) on nutrition and public health matters. "Moms need to know that fish, such as canned tuna, is one of nature's healthy fast foods, which is why the American Heart Association recommends it twice a week for children's health."