11 PROPERTIES OF SALMON FOR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH - NUTRITION - 2025

The health properties of salmon are numerous: it improves cardiovascular health and mood, it is a powerful anti-inflammatory, protects the joints, prevents cancer, improves the condition of the skin and others that I will explain below.

Salmon is one of the marine fish that can give more nutritional contributions to our body. Among its properties are attributed the ability to extend life expectancy, prevent heart attacks and fight cancer.

Salmon has earned its good reputation as a health support food, mainly due to its rich content of omega-3 fatty acids. This is unusual since, from just 115 grams of baked or broiled salmon, you can get at least 2 more grams of omega-3 fats.

For you to understand its importance, this is the amount obtained from all foods over several days by an average adult. If we consider obtaining 4 grams of omega-3 fatty acids as a goal for a person who consumes 2,000 calories per day, then this would be equivalent to approximately 50% of this goal.

About half of this omega-3 fat is provided in the form of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and a slightly less amount is provided in the form of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).

The amounts of EPA and DHA that we find in salmon are unusual among commonly eaten foods. In addition to this high concentration of omega-3 fats, it provides a small amount of omega-6 fats.

While there are other plant sources of omega-3 fats, such as flax seeds and walnuts, they cannot be compared on an equal footing with salmon because their omega-3 fats are in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) instead EPA or DHA.

Omega-3 fats have many benefits, among which are the modulation of the inflammatory response (they favor the formation of anti-inflammatory compounds in the body), the improvement of the cell membrane, a better cellular capacity to transmit information from one cell to another. another and an improvement in the health of brain cells.

Health benefits of salmon

1- Improves cardiovascular health

The consumption of fish from deep waters or blue fish (rich in omega-3 acids) such as salmon, is related to a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, including acute myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, arterial hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia (blood triglyceride level greater than 150 mg / dl).

The consumption of omega-3 fatty acids is also related to the improvement of metabolic parameters of cardiovascular disease.

Such is its potency that some of the heart benefits can be gained from just one salmon meal per week. In any case, most of the benefits begin to be observed in research studies with somewhat higher amounts of fish, with a consumption of 2-3 times per week.

In some of the studies on salmon intake and cardiovascular risk, many times the benefits are measured based on the total grams of omega-3 fats obtained in the daily diet.

In these studies, a daily minimum of 2 grams of omega-3 is required to achieve weighty cardiovascular protection.

To obtain the 2 grams that the studies are betting on, the amount of salmon that should be ingested is approximately 115 grams.

2- Improved mood and cognition

DHA is considered by many researchers to be the most important fat found in the human brain, and the unusual concentration of this omega-3 fatty acid in salmon helps explain some of the documented benefits in cognition and decreased risk. in certain problems related to the brain.

Intake of omega 3 fats from fish is associated with a lower risk of depression, decreased risk of hostility in adolescents, and reduced risk of cognitive decline in older people.

In turn, some studies have shown an association between the intellectual quotient and the intake of omega-3 fatty acids, including those provided by fish.

3- Powerful anti-inflammatory

Linked to the intake of fish and of special interest in this area of ​​research, we should mention the protectins. These are special bioactive compounds enriched with DHA.

Preliminary research studies have shown that they have a potentially important role as regulatory and anti-inflammatory molecules, especially when produced by nervous tissue.

4- Protection of the joints

Research on the consumption of salmon and its protective effect on the joints has shown that EPA from salmon can be converted by the body into three closely related types of compounds that work to prevent unwanted inflammation.

One group of compounds are the 3-series prostaglandins. A second type is the 3-series thromboxanes. A third recently discovered type has been that of resolvins. All of these derivatives of omega-3 fats are able to help prevent excessive and unwanted inflammation.

What is especially interesting about salmon is that it combines these anti-inflammatory benefits, related to the content of omega-3 fatty acids, with anti-inflammatory benefits that are not related to fat, but are related to protein.

In recent years, the presence of small bioactive protein molecules (called bioactive peptides) has been demonstrated in salmon. These provide special support for the cartilage of the joint.

One particular bioactive peptide called calcitonin has been of special interest in these studies. This is because calcitonin is formed in the body by the thyroid gland, which is a key hormone to help regulate and stabilize the balance of collagen and minerals in and around bone tissue.

Peptides from salmon, including calcitonin, can be enhanced by omega-3 fats from salmon, providing unique anti-inflammatory benefits for the joints

5- Improves eye health

Consuming omega-3 fats from salmon has been associated with a lower risk of two eye-related problems: macular degeneration and chronic dry eye.

Macular degeneration is a chronic eye problem, in which the material in the center of the retina at the back of the eyeball begins to deteriorate and cause loss of vision. Two servings of fish per week is the amount that has been shown to significantly decrease this risk.

To reduce the risk of chronic dry eye, a slightly higher amount of omega-3 fatty acids from fish (2-4 servings per week) was the minimum amount needed. When expanded to 5-6 servings per week they show a greater reduction in risk.

Similar to studies of omega-3 fat intake from fish and brain, studies on chronic dry eye have started to specifically look at the role of neuroprotectins formed from DHA.

These molecules derived from omega-3 fats can help prevent chronic dry eyes by reducing the levels of inflammation in the eye.

6- Decreased risk of cancer

Consuming fish rich in omega-3 fats is also associated with a lower risk of various types of cancer such as colorectal cancer, prostate cancer or breast cancer.

The strongest results to obtain a greater decrease in the risk of cancer are in those cancers related to blood cells or nodules including leukemia, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

As in cardiovascular studies, cancer risk studies usually begin to show measurable benefits when fish with omega-3 fats are eaten at least once a week.

7- Improvement of the skin

Due to the exceptional level of omega-3 fats that salmon has, we can help to have a glowing and more supple skin.

Dr. Perricone, a world-renowned dermatologist, recommends that his patients consume wild salmon about 3 times a week for radiant skin.

8- Protein intake

The benefits of omega-3 fats in salmon are not the only ones that stand out in this food. A novel area of ​​salmon health benefits involves the protein and amino acid content of this fish.

Several recent studies have found that salmon contains small bioactive protein molecules (called bioactive peptides) that can serve as special support for joint cartilage, the effectiveness of insulin, and the control of inflammation in the digestive tract.

Recent studies have been done, for example, on peptides from salmon and the treatment of ulcerative colitis. The intake of peptides from salmon may be related to a reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer, with calcitonin being the one that has created the most interest among the amino acids in salmon.

The human body produces its own calcitonin which, as we mentioned earlier, is a key hormone in helping to regulate and stabilize the balance of collagen and minerals in bone and surrounding tissue.

As researchers learn more and more about peptides, including salmon calcitonin (SCT), and its relationship to human calcitonin, we hope to see more benefits from consuming this fish.

9- Selenium contribution

Another nutrient concentrated in salmon and worthy of special mention is selenium. Regarding the absolute amount of selenium, 115 grams of salmon provide about 62% of the daily value of this mineral.

The intake of selenium is associated with a strong decrease in the risk of joint inflammation and also with the prevention of certain types of cancer, including colorectal cancer.

As an antioxidant nutrient, selenium has also been shown to be especially important in cardiovascular protection through the maintenance of the glutathione molecule.

As you can see, each of these benefits of selenium mentioned, enhances the nutritional contributions that we have discussed previously (omega-3 fats, proteins and amino acids).

10- Increased body well-being

High in vitamin D in a single serving, eating wild salmon can help maintain optimal health. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to everything from cancer to multiple sclerosis to rheumatoid arthritis to heart disease.

Alexander Parker, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology and urology at the Mayo Clinic in Florida, suggests that about a quarter of Americans suffer from low levels of vitamin D, and emphasizes the need for all of us to supplement or eat salmon rich in vitamin D on a regular basis.

Another study by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that 7.6 million children across the US were deficient in vitamin D. This is defined as a blood concentration of less than 15 ng / ml.

11- General nutritional contribution

As we can see below, the nutritional components of salmon are varied, which makes it one of the healthiest foods in the world. In order to sort your extensive list of benefits, we will group them according to nutritional contribution.

• Vitamin B12 (236% of the recommended daily value)
• Vitamin D (127%)
• Selenium (78.3%)
• Vitamin B3 (56.3%)
• Omega-3 fatty acids (55%)
• Proteins (53.1%)
• Phosphorus (52.1%)
• Vitamin B6 (37.6%)
• Iodine (21.3%
• Choline (19.2%)
• Vitamin B5 (18.4%)
• Biotin (15.1%)
• Potassium (14%)

References

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3. Chrysohoou C, Panagiotakos DB, Pitsavos C, Skoumas J, Krinos X, Chloptsios Y, Nikolaou V, Stefanadis C. Long-term fish consumption is associated with protection against arrhythmia in healthy persons in a Mediterranean region – the ATTICA study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 May; 85 (5): 1385-91. 2007. PMID: 17490977.
4. Chua B, Flood V, Rochtchina E, Wang JJ, Smith W, Mitchell P. Dietary fatty acids and the 5-year incidence of age-related maculopathy. Arch Ophthalmol. 2006 Jul; 124 (7): 981-6. 2006. PMID: 16832023.
5. Connor W. Will the dietary intake of fish prevent atherosclerosis in diabetic women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Sep; 80 (3): 626-32. 2004. PMID: 15321789.
6. Connor WE, Connor SL. The importance of fish and docosahexaenoic acid in Alzheimer disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Apr; 85 (4): 929-30. 2007. PMID: 17413088.
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