FISH IS GOOD FOR DIABETES, BUT ONLY IF UNPOLLUTED

Researchers have long been stumped by whether eating fish reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Some studies have shown that it does, while others have detected no effect or concluded that it tends to increase the risk.

A Chalmers University of Technology study may explain the contradictory results. The study compared blood samples and diet questionnaires from 842 participants, half of whom developed type 2 diabetes after about seven years. This showed that fish consumption as a whole has no effect on diabetes risk. Then, using a new data-analysis method, said one of the study authors, “We screened out the effect of environmental pollutants. We were then able to see that fish itself provides clear protection against type 2 diabetes.”

However, participants who ate a lot of fatty fish, such as salmon and herring, also had high levels of environmental pollutants in their blood. These fish are the most likely to contain accumulated pollutants such as DDT and PCB, which have both previously been linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

To make sure the fish you eat is free from pollutants, check the Environmental Defense Fund’s Seafood Selector (seafood.edf.org) for the choices least likely to contain them, then look for wild-caught fish from sustainable sources, such as those certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.