Fish is often sold as the “healthy meat,” but it is still animal flesh—with cholesterol, animal protein, and, increasingly, industrial contaminants. Mercury, PCBs, dioxins, and microplastics concentrate up the aquatic food chain, especially in larger predatory fish.
Fish oil and omega-3 marketing obscure a simpler point: you do not need fish to get essential fats. Ground flaxseed, chia, walnuts, and algae-based DHA/EPA supplements cover needs without the mercury or environmental cost of commercial fishing and fish farming.
Population data that appear to favor fish eaters often compare them to people eating even more red and processed meat—not to people eating whole plant foods. When plant-based patterns are the comparison, fish loses its halo. For heart disease reversal programs, the most successful clinical approaches remove all animal products, including fish.
Videos: Michael Greger, MD
From NutritionFacts.org:
Related: meat, Humans vs Meat Eaters, heart disease.