Wild salmon is the perfect healing food for people with diabetes. It’s exceptionally high in omega-3s, essential fatty acids that are crucial for reducing inflammation and lowering blood sugar. Omega-3s also reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, and if you have diabetes, you are already twice as likely to have heart disease as those who don’t.
1. Wild salmon helps reduce inflammation. Chronic low-grade inflammation is linked to both insulin resistance and high levels of glucose, both serious problems for people with diabetes or at risk of developing diabetes. Omega-3s help your body produce anti-inflammatory resolvins found in the fat of cold-water fish, which help lower blood sugar levels. (Stick to wild salmon; farmed salmon contains high levels of an omega-6 essential fatty acid called arachidonic acid which actually promotes inflammation.)
2. Wild salmon lowers triglyceride levels. High triglycerides contribute to metabolic syndrome, a combination of conditions that increase the risk for diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease. In a 6-month study of overweight adults published in the journal Nutrition, those who ate fish high in omega-3s were able to drop their triglyceride levels by almost 7%.
3. Wild salmon helps prevent obesity. Excess weight is directly linked to insulin resistance. If your body is unable to respond to insulin, that puts you on the fast track to developing full-blown diabetes. Omega-3s contain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which stimulates the secretion of a hormone (leptin) that tells the brain when the stomach feels full. Without that signal, it is easy to overeat. Chronic overeating leads, of course, to weight gain and obesity, a serious risk factor for developing diabetes and an impediment to overcoming diabetes.
4. Why wild salmon is best. Farmed salmon is toxic. Researchers from Indiana University found that farmed salmon contains high levels of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) compounds, possibly from contaminated feed. PBDE compounds, used as a flame retardant additive in electronics and foam-based furniture, are endocrine disrupters that negatively affect reproduction. Do you want that in your system?
5. Farmed salmon is carcinogenic. Farmed salmon also contain dioxin, a known human carcinogen implicated in cardiovascular disease and diabetes. According to the Midwest Center for Environmental Science and Public Policy, farmed salmon contains between 3 and 10 times as much dioxin as wild salmon. Many nutritionists question whether the health benefits of eating any omega-3 rich fish, wild or farmed, outweigh the health risks because of widespread mercury contamination in the oceans, a product of acid rain caused by decades of coal emissions. When deciding to add omega-3 rich salmon to your diet, it’s crucial to select the best, purest, wildest salmon you can find. Right now, that’s Alaskan wild salmon.
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