Is Farm-Raised Salmon Unhealthy?
When it comes to farm-raised salmon, there are numerous myths prevalent in social media pertaining to whether or not consuming it poses health risks. For most of us access to wild-caught fish may be limited and the higher cost makes it unaffordable. This means many of us are faced with the decision of whether to consume farmed-fish or no fish. What gives? Is farm-raised salmon bad? Is it an unhealthy choice? In a nutshell the answer is a resounding no, but let’s “dive” into the science to address specific concerns related to farmed salmon.
Myth #1: Farmed salmon is raised with antibiotics and pesticides and is full of contaminants and disease.
If this is a concern for you, you’ll be relieved to know that aquaculture (farming of fish and seafood in freshwater or saltwater) is regulated by the government.
Antibiotic use in farm raised fish is tightly regulated in the United States, Canada and the European Union. If antibiotics are used, there is a mandatory withdrawal period (a different amount of time for different antibiotics) before the fish can be harvested to make sure there are no antibiotic residues in the fish you eat. As a result, there have only been a few reported cases of antimicrobial residues in North American and European farmed fish due to non-compliance.
Bottom line, aquaculture is an important tool for increasing seafood sustainability, affordability and access. The reality is most fish on the market come from sustainable fisheries.
Myth #2: Farmed salmon gets its pink color from harmful dyes.
If you’ve been told to avoid farmed seafood when the label says “color added”, this is another myth.
The thing that gives the flesh of wild-caught salmon it’s distinctive pink-orange color is the bioaccumulation of a carotenoid called astaxanthin that is naturally found in red algae. It is also responsible for similar coloring seen in other fish (e.g., Arctic char, rainbow trout, and red bream) and shellfish (e.g., lobster, and shrimp).
In aquaculture environments, astaxanthin is added to fish feed which then gives food like farmed salmon their familiar pink color. (It is not a result of artificial coloring injected into the flesh of the fish after harvest.) It is true that in the store, farmed salmon can appear less vibrant than wild salmon and that is because astaxanthin is a very expensive ingredient, therefore just enough is added to help the salmon develop their pink hue.
Astaxanthin is very beneficial for the salmon (and for us). A variety of studies have demonstrated that astaxanthin has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, cardioprotective, anti-hypertensive, immuno-modulating, anti-diabetic, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, bone-protective, eye-protective, performance enhancing, and endocrine-supportive properties. It’s been shown to alter the gut immune system, significantly lowering bacterial loads and alleviating gastric inflammation in H. pylori-infected mice and can improve the gut microbiome composition. In one 2020 study, it was shown that astaxanthin offered anti-inflammatory protective effects of various chronic and acute disease, and suggested that additional research was warranted to further prove out its potential as an infectious disease protector! Another 2022 study suggested that given the anti-inflammatory benefits, more studies were necessary to therefore investigate the possibility of astaxanthin-based drug design in the future.
Bottom line, adding astaxanthin to the fish feed makes the salmon (and us) healthier. It’s basically replicating a very important part of the wild salmon diet and the only reason more isn’t added to fish feed is because it’s a very expensive ingredient so just enough is added to make the salmon an appealing color for consumers.
Myth #3: Farmed-salmon is not nutrient-dense and/or doesn’t deliver the same health benefits as wild-caught salmon.
If you look at the like nutrient density of farmed-fish versus wild fish, wild-caught salmon is a little bit more nutrient dense than farmed salmon, but the difference isn’t huge. Wild-caught Atlantic salmon is 29% more nutrient-dense than farmed Atlantic salmon and wild-caught Pacific coho salmon is 14% more nutrient-dense than farmed coho, but the important thing to remember here is that farmed salmon is already incredibly nutrient dense! In fact, farmed salmon has double to triple the nutrient-density of most cuts of meat.
Whether wild-caught or farmed, fish has so much valuable nutrition in it. Fish protein is some of the most easily digested protein and has also been shown in studies to be really good for the composition of our gut microbiomes. Fish has healthy omega-3 fatty acids that improve cardiovascular health, neurological health and immune health, in addition to having a great collection of vitamins and minerals, including some that are hard to get from other foods (e.g., vitamin D). Even the most boring fish (e.g., tilapia) has double the nutrient-density of common meats you would find at the grocery store, and a lot of the more expensive fish, like salmon, is going to be three or four times more nutrient-dense than chicken breast, pork chop, steak, or ground beef, even when farmed!
Furthermore, there are some scientific studies that specifically look at the health benefits of farmed salmon. For example, a 2016 study in overweight adults showed that eating farmed Atlantic salmon twice per week for 4 weeks improved serum lipid profiles in a way that is associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk. Another 2013 study showed that eating farmed Atlantic salmon twice per week showed an improvement in omega-3 to omega-6 ratios, which also correlates with a decreased risk of heart disease. And, a 2019 study in preschool children showed that eating farmed Atlantic salmon three times per week for four months increased cognitive performance.
Bottom line, there’s nothing wrong with choosing farmed salmon, if that’s what you have access to, what you like, and what you can afford. It’s absolutely safe to eat and is an incredibly health promoting food.
Check out my video where I talk about farmed salmon!
cITATIONS
Expand to see all scientific references for this article.
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