I always assumed that all fish was healthy, but it seems the nutritional benefits of farm-raised tilapia aren't as wonderful as we thought. A new study reveals that this type of popular fish actually contains very low amounts of the healthy omega-3s our bodies need, and very high levels of omega-6s. 
Tilapia has a higher amount of omega-6s than 80-percent-lean hamburger, doughnuts, and even bacon. Researchers say this combination of fatty acids could be potentially dangerous for people with heart disease, arthritis, asthma, and other allergic and auto-immune diseases.
When it comes to omega-3s and omega-6s, you do need them both, but a healthy ratio is one omega-3 fatty acid to four omega-6 fatty acids. The western diet contains a much higher ratio of omega-6s. Having too many omega-6 fatty acids in relation to omega-3s can lead to a number of health problems, including obesity and heart disease. Omega-3s have anti-inflammatory properties, which are beneficial for people with inflammation diseases, but since tilapia is high in omega-6s and low in omega-3s, this fish would not make the best choice. Fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon (wild is better) are a much better option.
I'm curious if this news is going to change your relationship to tilapia, one of the most commonly eaten fish in the US? Let me know in the comments section below.
Hugo Boss
Jaeger
Marithe' F. Girbaud
I don't think I've ever had Tilapia before. I'm not a big fish person.
1I always go for wild fish because of this. They just don't get the right diet to have a good omega 6:omega 3 ratio in farms. This is the case with farmed salmon too.
2Wild is always better.
3Great.... I eat tilapia like 3x a week because it's cheap. I am would almost guarantee I'm eating farm raised. *sigh(
4Also wild fish and sea-food tastes a lot better (in addition to fresher) in my opinion- particularly wild- vs farm-raised salmon.
5Oh no! I eat tilapia all the time!
6Uptown_girl- one way to get less expensive "wild" seafood/fish is to get frozen fish fillets or scallops or shrimp etc- at Whole Foods the frozen seafood/fish are often wild (check of course before you buy) and it's a good deal vs some of their fresh wild stuff.
7i'm a vegetarian so i don't eat tilapia, but i know that my fiance used to a lot and to think that you're really not getting hte same benefits from the food if it's been farm raised makes you wonder. it's hard cause you know that there are some cost perks to going for a farm raised fish, or even a flavor thing, but if there aren't as many vitamins and nutrients, then you really need to think twice about going that route.
8More omega-6s than bacon? that is a shame because it is a tasty fish...but I don't eat it that often so I hope it wont matter too much.
9I'd much prefer salmon and for that matter just about any fish to tilapia so I wouldn't have to worry.
10I always thought this fish was really healthy and my family buys this fish fresh in the Asian grocery supermarket a couple times a week.
11Is there that much of a difference when compared to wild tilapia, I'm wondering? Yikes, I think I definitely will avoid tilapia. What's the point of eating fish if it's not healthy? I think I'll stick to my mahi mahi and salmon.
12Aw man this sucks. I just started to eat fish and this was one of the ones I liked!
13Just FYI, tilapia is bread to 'clean up' after bass that are also bread. They are bottom feeders that consume bass poop. ...Just some food for thought.
14Isn't this an artifact of being farm-raised and not being exposed to the nutrient cycling they would have in a more natural environment? It makes sense that they aren't as beneficial from a farm. So make them healthier by feeding them natural "bass poop" or other origins of the fatty acids that make them healthier to consume.
15I don’t known if anyone has seen this yet—it just came out today- more than a dozen world renowned doctors from 5 countries released an open letter saying the “tilapia is worse than bacon” study is way off base. Turns out reporters looking for sound-bite-science didn’t do their homework and just took one researcher’s conclusion on face value and went with it.
16Gavin Gibbons
National Fisheries Institute
Here’s the link:
http://www.sanfordhealth.org/VisitorsPatients/HealthResources/HealthArti...
Times are hard... I buy "farm raised" Tilapia... and yes I know of the heath benefits from eating wild caught fish... but in a situation like this you have to learn how to use the tools of the trade. What that means is finding other sources of Omega 3s and incorporating it with the Tilapia. So... I cook them in Extra Virgin Olive oil. The better the quality, the more benefits you get. So that's all I have to say...
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