A fishy tale

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued advice on eating oily fish, recommending for the first time maximum levels of consumption for different lifestage groups.

What is an oily fish?

Oily fish includes all of the following (whether the fish are canned, fresh or frozen):

• eel
• herring
• kipper
• mackerel
• pilchards
• salmon
• sardines
• trout and
• whitebait.

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What about tuna?

Fresh tuna is an oily fish but canned tuna does not count as oily. This is because when it is canned these fats are reduced to levels similar in white fish. So tuna is a healthy choice for most people but does not have the same benefits as eating oily fish.

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What are the benefits of eating oily fish?

The British Heart Foundation suggests that eating oily fish reduces the risk of death from heart disease, which killed 117,500 people in 2002.

Oily fish is a good source of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids which are important for the development of the central nervous system in babies before they are born.

There is some evidence to suggest that if women eat oily fish when they are pregnant and when breastfeeding this helps their baby's development.

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How much oily fish should I eat?

The FSA recommends that girls and women who intend to have a child one day, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, should have up to two portions of oily fish a week. Other women, men and boys can have up to four portions of oily fish a week. A portion is 140g.

On average, people in the UK eat a third of a portion of oily fish a week. Seven out of ten do not eat any fish at all.

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Why should people limit the amount of oily fish they eat?

Oily fish contains small quantities of pollutants called dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These are by-products from industrial processes and household fires, and, although their levels are falling in the environment, there is a risk associated with these chemicals that comes from taking in high levels over a long period of time.

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FSA advice

FSA Chair, Sir John Krebs, said: 'Eating oily fish is a simple way for people to reduce the risks of heart disease. Eating just one portion of oily fish a week has clear-cut health benefits. This extensive review of the scientific evidence has reduced uncertainty about how much oily fish people can safely eat without the benefits being outweighed by the risks.'

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Further information

Further information is available from the Food Standards Agency.