The researchers found farm-raised tilapia -- the fifth most popular fish consumed in the United States, and growing rapidly in European markes -- could be potentially dangerous to people dealing with heart disease, arthritis and asthma.
That's because farm-raised tilapia has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. "Perhaps worse, it contains very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids," the researchers said in a report released this week.
The combination "could be a potentially dangerous food source for some patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases that are particularly vulnerable to an 'exaggerated inflammatory response,'" they said.
Inflammation
