The New Nation - Internet Edition

Tilapia is basically a sea fish and as a popular source of seafood Tilapia is cultivated in many parts of the world and consumption by humans is tremendous which is increasing day by day. Alone in the United States 1.5 million tons of tilapia was consumped in 2003 which is expected to reach 2.5 million by 2010! Tilapia is also widely cultivated and consumed in Bangladesh.

Tilapia has been considered as a safe food for heart and asthma patients becuase of its Omega-3 fatty acids content. But according to a latest research from America's Wake Forest University School of Medicine, farm-raised Tilapia fish as very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids which could be a potentially dangerous food source for patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases. What to do now? I think, people withthe abvoe mentioned diseases should imp;ose some restrictions on the consumption of tilapia frequently.

Professor M Zahidul Haque

Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University,

Dhaka.