Fish are nutritious and delicious, with their nutritional value exceeding other meats, and they also have various health benefits. Fish not only contain abundant protein, essential vitamins, and trace elements for the human body, but also various unsaturated fatty acids, especially in higher quantities in marine fish. These can prevent cholesterol from depositing on blood vessel walls, so eating fish regularly is very beneficial for preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases. Unsaturated fatty acids also influence the formation of phosphatides. Phosphatides are one of the important substances for maintaining the normal function of brain nerve cells. Therefore, adolescents and the elderly should eat more fish; it can enhance children's memory and improve learning efficiency, while for the elderly, it can improve brain function and prevent senile dementia.
Six types of people should not eat fish
Although eating fish is beneficial for most people, there are certain groups who should avoid it.
First, infertile patients: Studies have shown that excessive fish consumption in men can often weaken fertility. This is because the mercury content in fish is higher than in the water. When mercury enters the human body, it can directly bind with red blood cells in the blood, hindering the function of reproductive cells. Therefore, although fish is tasty, infertile patients should avoid eating it.
Second, gout: Fish, shrimp, and shellfish contain high levels of purines. Therefore, patients with gout should avoid foods like sardines, anchovies, shrimp, roe, shellfish, and crab roe to prevent acute gout attacks.
Third, patients with bleeding disorders: Such as hemophilia. Patients with thrombocytopenia and vitamin K deficiency should eat less or no fish. Because fish contains substances that inhibit platelet aggregation, it can easily cause bleeding disorders to bleed continuously or worsen bleeding symptoms.
Fourth, patients with advanced cirrhosis: They have impaired liver function, reduced production of clotting factors by the liver, and often have a tendency to bleed. They should eat less sardines, mackerel, and tuna, but carp and flounder can be eaten in moderation.
Fifth, tuberculosis patients taking isoniazid: Consuming certain fish while taking isoniazid can easily cause allergic reactions. Mild symptoms include nausea, headache, skin flushing, and conjunctival congestion, while severe symptoms can include palpitations, numbness and swelling of the lips and face, rash, diarrhea, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, elevated blood pressure, and even hypertensive crisis and cerebral hemorrhage.
Sixth, people with a naturally allergic constitution: Should be even more cautious when eating fish.
Editor's tip:
Burnt fish should not be eaten. When fish is fried until burnt, it produces more benzopyrene, which is a strong carcinogen, more toxic than aflatoxin. Additionally, fish is rich in protein. If the fish is burnt, the high-molecular-weight protein will break down into low-molecular-weight amino acids and can form mutagenic chemicals.
Salted fish should be eaten in moderation. There is a certain link between eating salted fish and the occurrence of nasopharyngeal cancer, a fact long recognized by scientists. Research shows that for children, eating salted fish is more carcinogenic than for adults. The reason salted fish can cause nasopharyngeal cancer is that during the pickling process, some of the protein in the fish breaks down into amines. Animal experiments have also shown that rats that eat salted fish develop cancer, while the control group that does not eat salted fish does not.