Eating Too Much Oily Fish Can Increase Risk Of Developing Diabetes, Study Says

Consumption of oily fish has numerous health benefits. On the other hand, eating too much of it can be bad for you. The study shows that consuming it excessively could heighten the risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes by up to a quarter.

The study was presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). The researchers examined the eating habits of 70,000 women, who were also examined in 1990 on the risk factors linked with cancer and other major non-communicable diseases in women, according to Daily Mail.

They discovered that those who consumed most the omega 3 had an increased risk of developing diabetes by over a quarter than those who consumed the least. Those who consumed around 1.6g of polyunsaturated fatty acid, which is a portion of salmon or sardine a day, had a 26 percent risk of having type 2 diabetes.

Likewise, overweight women who ate high omega-3 consumption had 19 percent risk of diabetes. On the other hand, non-overweight and overweight women who consumed omega-3 fatty acid called docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), which can also be found in red meat, had 45 percent and 54 percent risk, respectively. The team also discovered that those who ate the omega-6 fatty acid known as arachidonic acid (AA), which can be found in oily fish and meat, had a 50 percent risk of diabetes in physically fit people. On the other hand, there was a 74 percent increased risk for overweight women.

Dr. Guy Fagherazzi from University Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France stated that too much consumption of docosapentaenoic acid and arachidonic acid may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. He advised the people to limit the intake of these sources.

Oily fish has amounts of oil in their body tissues and in their belly cavity. These oily fish include salmon, tuna, eel, trout, kipper, sardines, whitebait, pilchards, herring and mackerel. So, how much oily fish you must consume? Health experts recommended no more than four portions per week. For those who are pregnant or planning to conceive, two portions each week of oil fish is advisable.