Benefits of having fish

A new study says that eating fish twice a week helps relieve the symptoms of arthritis. People who consume fish twice in a week suffered less from swollen or tender joints than those who never ate fish.

The study also found that people who ate even more than two portion of fish in a week were less likely to suffer from rheumatoid arthiritis.

Researchers have earlier already said that fish oil supplements like those high in Omega 3 fatty acids also relieve joint pain.

However, the researchers wanted to see if the effect was also present when whole fish were eaten.

According to Dr Sara Tedeschi, who is the lead author of the study in Arthiritis Care and Research said that fish consumption has been noted to have many beneficial health effects.

In the study, 176 rheumatism patients living in Baltimore estimated how often they ate fish over the past year and how big the portion was.

Fish with higher Omega 3 oil content were selected. The fish were tuna, salmon, sardines, raw fish such as sashimi or sushi, and grilled, steamed baked trout, sole, halibut, grouper and poke.

Fried fish were not included in the study – the researchers said frying reduces Omega 3 content.

Levels of inflammation, as measured by tests of a marker in the blood were significantly lower among those eating fish twice or more a week compared to those who never ate it