Session: Healthier Meat & Milk, Fish and Families: Getting Beneficial Fats from Sustainable, Less Toxic Sources


Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

3273.0: Monday, December 12, 2005: 2:30 PM-4:00 PM

Oral

Healthier Meat & Milk, Fish and Families: Getting Beneficial Fats from Sustainable, Less Toxic Sources

The 2005 USDA dietary guidelines emphasize intake of beneficial fats - including omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Healthful fats is a far more complicated issue than the guidelines suggest, however, especially for pregnant women. Many persistent pollutants - dioxins, PCBs, brominated flame retardants - are lipophilic, or "fat-friendly". These neurotoxins accumulate in oily fish and some other foods sought after for their omega-3 fats, and may subtract from the latter's health benefits. South Beach, Atkins, and other popular diets have raised consumption of meats and fish as popular protein sources. Choices between types of meat or fish, and the conditions in which they are raised, can determine not only beneficial fat intake, but also that of toxic pollutants. This session's purpose is to clarify these and related issues, emphasizing recent science, and offer sources of good advice from well-researched sources.

Learning Objectives: After the session, participants will be able to: 1) Articulate 3 health benefits of dietary omega-3 fatty acids; 2) Describe the interaction between dietary omega-3 and omega 6 fatty acids and health risks; 3) List recommendations on food consumption that will help minimize exposure to environmental pollutants while providing optimal intakes of beneficial fats.

Organizer(s):

David B. Wallinga, MD, MPA
Barbara A. Laraia, PhD, MPH, RD
Barbara Polhamus, PhD, MPH, RD
Sara B. Fein, PhD
Lissa Ong, MPH, RD

Moderator(s):

David B. Wallinga, MD, MPA

2:30 PM

Dietary Fats in the Context of Agricultural & Ecological Health