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• January 26, 2010 3:44 p.m.

  This is not rocket sciense, so let's not be so quick to shoot down what the Docs are saying. The main idea is that if you are looking to get the benefits of omega fat intake via fish, you should stick with Salmon, Tuna and Mackerel. This has always been the case! Catfish tastes awesome - I know - and from what I hear Tilapia tastes great as well, but everything that tastes good IS NOT necessarily good for your body. If you want the health benefits of fish intake, stick with the salmon, tuna, and mackerel and try preparing them in different ways, serving them with different dishes, etc. You don't totally have to eliminate catfish, tilapia, etc., but I would not consume them twice a week or more as you SHOULD with salmon, tuna and mackerel.

  - JM

• December 16, 2009 6:55 p.m.

  I am Filipino and my husband is white and we disagree on how good is Tilapia is, but I LOVE it!!

  - Estrella

• November 9, 2009 9:46 a.m.

  This is the worst piece of non-science that I have seen. After giving the scientific facts, we are presented with opinion to contradict the facts. Tilapia is now the main crop of the former chicken farmers on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The chicken barns now have foot deep plastic tubes that are twelve feet across to raise the tilapia. They feed them the same food the feed the chickens. There is no needs to add oxygen to the water and best of all, the fish will breed seven times a year in the filthy water.

  - William

• November 8, 2009 2:45 p.m.

  YOU CAN NOT EAT HEALTHY.YOU CAN EAT SLOWLY,YOU CAN EAT A STEAK,BUT THER IS NO PRODUCT "HEALTHY".

  - DIETER

• May 19, 2009 2:31 p.m.

  *UPDATE* Tilapia DOES have scales AND fins but farm raised tilapia are the ones that are high in Omega-6 probably from what they are fed.

  - brad

• May 19, 2009 2:25 p.m.

  I am leery of this guy's reasons for not doing away with these kinds of fish. I am not surprised about the controversy as the Bible speaks of only eating aquatic animals that have fins AND scales. I know catfish have no scales and I am going to research tilapia.

  - brad

• April 29, 2009 7:25 a.m.

  When I look at the food content of frozen talapia, the cholestoral is v. high? is it because it is frozen or it actually has a high fat content - bad fats/cholestoral. therefore this would not be good for your diet-Thank you

  - Eileen

• April 26, 2009 2:25 p.m.

  You are missing the point. The point is, americans consumer more omega-6 than they should, therefore they should opt for fish with less omega-6 and more omega-3. We aren't saying 6 is bad, just that the ratio is off. Also, the government is the last the change any rules or regulations. Go on pubmed and type in omega-6...you'll see multiple studies on it's negative impact on health.

  - J

• April 7, 2009 6:25 p.m.

  do talapia have fins and scales?

  - Jack

• April 2, 2009 7:32 p.m.

  I am wondering if one boils fish,what happens to toxins?is it possible that all toxins including mercury coming out into the water ?so then you have a "cleaner"fish?

  - arina

• February 25, 2009 11:42 p.m.

  While it may be true that there are more n-6's in Tilapia than hamburger, according to the data at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ that hamburger also has 5g (or 5000mg) of saturated fat, 6g of monos, 900mg of trans fats, and 73 mg of cholesterol, whereas tilapia has 2g total fat, with 48 mg cholesterol. Just because the author of the original paper was dishonest in his comparison (and I don't see how else to describe it), the rest of us don't have the duty to propagate his dishonesty in the name of quoting him accurately. Unless the nutrition data at USDA is completely wrong, tilapia is very lean protein and would have little impact on your lipid profile compared to a hamburger, bacon, nuts or a fatty fish like herring or salmon.

  - No name given

• September 16, 2008 7:46 a.m.

  All the factors mentioned when taken into consideration can affect the final outcome. My family has enjoyed Tilapia every Tuesday as a tradition for several years now. I've never found a safer, more versatile or affordable fish to prepare. It's amazingly simple to fix, always yummy & delicious & everyone loves it. We even take turns planning how we'd like it cooked when it's "our week". Now maybe if I bought the fish from China I'd be worried since it's always the cheaper quality frozen or previously frozen,then thawed crap labeled "refreshed" but for a few more pennies a pound I can usually buy fresh. Our fishmonger turned me on to the fact that usually the best place to buy fresh is Publix though typically nothing is branded. I even found the website of the largest supplier for North America & ripped off this info blurb: Tropical Aquaculture's tilapia is the world’s leading source of fresh premium tilapia.Our tilapia are grown naturally, with no antibiotics, without hormones to promote growth, & no additives or preservatives to improve appearance or extend shelf life. Because tilapia is an herbivore fish & can be raised on grain it's one of the most eco-friendly, sustainable fish available today.Our tilapia is always fresh, never frozen, harvested around the clock & delivered to the market within 24hrs of harvest. Tropical Brand Tilapia is farm-raised in low density ponds,our pristine waters keep our Tilapia safe from any

  - Michael Corleone (No relation)

• July 24, 2008 7:30 p.m.

  Chris O. raises an important and often-overlooked point -- where food comes from is often significant, especially if it comes from China (alas, most stores do not provide this information so you are on your own). How it is prepared is significant, too, and so is one's susceptibility to various illnesses. Good luck.

  - Vic

• July 24, 2008 12:07 a.m.

  It would be more helpful had the reasons been included as to why the arguments are "flawed". Without explanation, it's hard to be persuaded, no?

  - Donna

• July 23, 2008 2:38 p.m.

  I really enjoy Tilapia. Since most Tilapia is farmed, it is relatively affordable. However, I recently found, by reading the package for origin of the Tilapia, that the fish was farmed in China. Due to the pollution in China the Environmental Working Group(EWG) states that Tilapia from China should not be consumed due to the high levels of pollutants found in the fish.

  - ChrisO

• July 23, 2008 1:55 p.m.

  It would be helpful if the Mayo did a piece on mercury content of fish. Members of my family recently tested so high for mercury that we were contacted by the state department of health. We have since stopped eating high mercury fish like tuna and yellowtail (we previously ate a lot of sushi, which included a lot of high mercury fish). Thank you.

  - Linda

• July 23, 2008 10:48 a.m.

  Hurray for sanity!!!!

  - Marcia

• July 23, 2008 4:31 a.m.

  lease address the issue of toxins in fish. Is Tilapia/catfish high in toxin and how harmful to one's health is this. Ronnie,Nigeria

  - No name given

• July 23, 2008 12:14 a.m.

  WEN YOU EAT FISH LOOK FOR A TRAZABILITY OF THE FOOD BECOUSE IT MAKES CERTIFICATION OF GOOD QUALITY OF FOOD IF THE FISH IS MAKE IT IN FARM FISH

  - WWW.ACUICULTURA.COM.MX JORGE ROJAS A.

• July 22, 2008 7:34 p.m.

  I think the question was more in regard to toxins that may be in these two types of fish, like mercury. I know the benefits of eating fish, but what about the toxins in fish.

  - Cynthia