Study confirms the health benefits of seafood

QUEENSLAND’S peak fishing industry body has welcomed release of a university-based study detailing the health benefits of seafood.

Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA) CEO David Bobbermen says the study concludes that eating at least two serves of seafood a week can provide a wide range of health benefits for people of all ages.

“The report was completed earlier in the year and we are now distributing the results to industry here,” Mr Bobbermen said. “This is a very valuable report, and it is very important that the seafood industry, and seafood consumers more generally, know what the researchers discovered.

“Greater consumption of seafood really can make a significant improvement in health outcomes for people of all ages – in fact, at every stage of life from conception to old age – and we want to make sure the results of this research are widely known.

“Everyone knows in a general sense that eating fish is good for you but this report really spells out the why-and-how of benefits for a remarkable range of health conditions.”

Mr Bobbermen said the report, entitled The Health Benefits of Eating Seafood: Evidence Based Science, has been compiled by Dr Wendy Hunt from Murdoch University and Professor Alexandra McManus from Curtin University.

The report provides a summary of moderate-level to high-level scientific evidence published in peer-reviewed literature between 2015 and 2025 around the health benefits of seafood consumption to human health, and analyses a total of 281 studies.

“Dr Hunt and Prof. McManus say the evidence clearly supports the consumption of at least two serves of seafood a week as a part of a healthy diet, and it is also evident that a variety of seafood should be consumed to gain optimal health benefit.

“The strongest evidence supports at least one serve of seafood rich in Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (oil) each week.”

The study was funded by the Australian Government’s Fisheries Research & Development Corporation and the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations.

The key results of the study include:

* Evidence supports the consumption of at least two serves of seafood a week (a serve equals 100 to 150 grams) as part of a healthy diet;

* At least one of these portions should be rich in Omega-3 fatty acids;

* A variety of seafood should be consumed to gain optimal health benefits;

* There are health benefits at all stages of life; and

* Consuming supplements containing some of the nutrients from seafood can be beneficial but eating seafood itself offers additional benefits because of the range of nutrition in whole fish and shellfish.

The report says seafood is an excellent source of energy and contains a range of nutrients that are beneficial for human health. These include Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), protein, Vitamins A, B12, D and E, calcium, iodine, iron, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, phosphorus and taurine. Each of these nutrients offer a range of health benefits.

The full report – The Health Benefits of Eating Seafood: Evidence-Based Science by Dr Wendy Hunt, Murdoch University, and Prof Alexandra McManus, Curtin University, is available at:  https://www.frdc.com.au/sites/default/files/documents/The%20Health%20Benefits%20of%20Eating%20Seafood%E2%80%94Evidence%20Based%20Science.pdf