Health Benefits Like meats, fish and shellfish are good sources of protein, the B vitamins, and various minerals Iodine and calcium are special strengths Many fish are very lean, and so offer these nutrients along with relatively few calories But the fat of ocean fish turns out to be especially valuable in its own right Like other fats that are liquid at room temperature, fish fats are usually referred to as “oils.” The Benefits of Fish Oils As we’ll see (p 189), life in cold water has endowed sea creatures with fats rich in unusual, highly unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (The name means that the first kink in the long chain of carbon atoms is at the third link from the end; see p 801.) The human body can’t make these fatty acids very efficiently from other fatty acids, so our diet supplies most of them A growing body of evidence indicates that they happen to have a number of beneficial influences on our metabolism One benefit is quite direct, the others indirect Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to the development and function of the brain and the retina, and it appears that an abundance in our diet helps ensure the health of the central nervous system in infancy and throughout life But the body also transforms omega-3 fatty acids into a special set of calming immunesystem signals (eicosanoids) The immune system responds to various kinds of injuries by generating an inflammation, which kills cells in the vicinity of the injury in preparation for repairing it But some inflammations can become self-perpetuating, and do more harm than good: most importantly, they can damage arteries and contribute to heart disease, and they can contribute to the development of some cancers A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids helps limit the inflammatory response, and thus lowers the incidence of heart disease and ...influences on our metabolism One benefit is quite direct, the others indirect Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to the development and function of the brain and the retina, and it appears that an abundance in... inflammations can become self-perpetuating, and do more harm than good: most importantly, they can damage arteries and contribute to heart disease, and they can contribute to the development of some cancers A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids... The immune system responds to various kinds of injuries by generating an inflammation, which kills cells in the vicinity of the injury in preparation for repairing it But some inflammations can become self-perpetuating,