Eat plenty of oily fish to protect heart
Young women who wish to reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke may want to include more oily fish in their diet plans, new research suggests.A study at Denmark's Statens Serum Institut looked at the links between dietary intake of oily fish and cardiovascular disease in approximately 49,000 women, aged 15 to 49 years.
They found that women who reported eating the least oily fish were 50 per cent more likely to develop cardiovascular problems over an eight-year period than those who ate fish regularly.
The findings, which are published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association, suggest that recipes containing oily fish could help women to stave off heart problems.
Lead researcher Dr Marin Strom said that the study is the first of its size to look solely at women of childbearing age.
"Women who eat fish should find the results encouraging, but it is important to emphasise that to obtain the greatest benefit from fish and fish oils, women should follow the dietary recommendations to eat fish as a main meal at least twice a week," she noted.
A wide variety of fish are classed as oily fish, including salmon, mackerel, trout and fresh tuna.
Cod, haddock, plaice and tinned tuna are not classed as oily fish, although they still have a role to play as part of a healthy diet.
