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Canned seawater fish with declared content of omega-3 fatty acids: a novel benefit for dietary practice and research

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 70, pages 1093–1094 (2016)Cite this article

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Recent health claims of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)1, 2 to declare, besides other ingredients, the amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in fish products might be an important novelty for nutritional practice. They offer a hitherto ignored quantitative instruction to scientists, dieticians and consumers. Moreover, they provide a possibility to design clinical studies using canned fish with definite doses of EPA and DHA (Fischkombinat Rostock, Germany). As canned products with declarations of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are increasingly available in the European market, this gives the opportunity to recall previous studies with canned fish based on analyzed and defined contents of fatty acids.

More than 30 years ago in six observational studies, canned mackerel from the same region and season containing previously analyzed amounts of electrolytes, fat and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA+DHA) resulted in reductions in several risk factors of coronary heart disease (CHD) in healthy, hypertensive and hyperlipemic subjects. They included not only decreases in serum lipids, lipoproteins and blood pressure but also in thromboxane B2, free fatty acids and stress response.3, 4, 5, 6 Thus, from a scientific perspective, the few previous studies with canned mackerel have shown clinical effects on risk factors of CHD similar to thousands of subsequent studies based on fish oil supplements. Afterward for decades, canned fish as a dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids has been widely ignored in dietary practice and nutritional literature including clinical studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Berlin, Germany

    P Singer & M Wirth

  2. Sao Paulo, Brazil

    K Singer

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  1. P Singer
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  2. M Wirth
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Correspondence to P Singer.

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Singer, P., Wirth, M. & Singer, K. Canned seawater fish with declared content of omega-3 fatty acids: a novel benefit for dietary practice and research. Eur J Clin Nutr 70, 1093–1094 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2016.97

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