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According to a new study, consuming two weekly servings of this fish could reduce bad type of cholesterol.
It is often said that fish is good for memory. But it would also be excellent for our arteries! At least this is the conclusion of a recent study published in the journal The Journal of Nutrition.
For this study, 41 participants aged 30 to 69 were recruited.
All had to follow a Mediterranean diet based on fish, lean meat, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
This routine included two servings of salmon per week for two five-week periods, with a month’s break in between.
The researchers then assessed the health status of the candidates, suffering from obesity or overweight. The state of their cardiovascular system – but also their blood – was examined.
The candidates’ meals were also analyzed in the laboratory to identify their metabolites – organic compounds good for health.
Result ? In total, 1518 compounds from all foods were identified. But 508 were specific to salmon.
By eating salmon, the candidates consumed some of these metabolites, including four that were associated with improved cardiometabolic health indicators.
However, people with high levels of these substances in their blood had greater reductions.total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, blood triglycerides and apolipoprotein B”; a lipoprotein synthesized by the liver and intestines that is an indicator of heart disease.
And this, thanks to the presence “of lipids“, like the omega-3 fatty acids or even polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), the study further details.
“We are the first to identify bioactive compounds specific to salmon that increase in plasma after consumption [un régime méditerranéen] with about two servings of salmon per week. Additionally, several of these diet-specific compounds have been associated with short-term improvement in cardiometabolic health indicators“, write the researchers, reports the media Healthline.
Choose your salmon wisely
If salmon seems to have many good points – notably thanks to its good fats (the omega-3 present in salmon are said to reduce blood pressure, triglyceride levels and the formation of blood clots), not all are equal.
Industrial or conventional salmon contains pollutants and bad fats. In fact, good quality wild salmon (red label and AB) should be preferred.
“It is in the Pacific origin (Oncorhynchus) that we most easily find “wild”. Fish fed naturally, without fattening with fish meal“, specifies the magazine Que Choisir.
Slide: The 8 health benefits of the Mediterranean diet