This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related articles  • Similar articles in JAMA  Topic Collections  • Nutritional and Metabolic Disorders  • Lipids and Lipid Disorders  • Cardiovascular System  • Cardiovascular Disease/ Myocardial Infarction  • Hypertension  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

To the Editor: Drs Hu and Willett¹ concluded that diets high in nonhydrogenated unsaturated fats, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and adequate omega-3 fatty acids can offer significant protection against coronary heart disease (CHD). Although I agree with most of these recommendations, I am concerned that addition of fish and omega-3 fats may not provide a truly optimal diet for overall human health, much less for patients with heart disease.

Fish, which is high on the food chain, is often contaminated with environmental chemicals known to cause cancer and toxic effects in the nervous system² and can be a source of microbes that cause foodborne infections.³ Mercury, found in significant quantities in many kinds of fish, may increase the risk of myocardial infarction.⁴ Fish can raise serum cholesterol levels as much as beef and pork⁵ and is deficient in dietary fiber, carbohydrate, vitamin C, niacin, and calcium. The acidic proteins . . . [Full Text of this Article]

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

RELATED ARTICLES

Optimal Diets to Prevent Heart Disease
Larry Bryan
JAMA. 2003;289(12):1509.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Optimal Diets to Prevent Heart Disease
Steven Masley, James J. Kenney, and Jeffery S. Novick
JAMA. 2003;289(12):1510.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Optimal Diets to Prevent Heart Disease
Shirley Siew
JAMA. 2003;289(12):1510.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Optimal Diets to Prevent Heart Disease—Reply
Frank B. Hu and Walter C. Willett
JAMA. 2003;289(12):1510-1511.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Optimal Diets for Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease
Frank B. Hu and Walter C. Willett
JAMA. 2002;288(20):2569-2578.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT