The Newest Fish Tale: Bake, Broil, But Don't Fry

Ladies, start your ovens.

A new study by Northwestern University found that postmenopausal women who ate broiled or baked fish five or more times a week had a 30 percent lower risk of heart failure over a 10-year period compared to those who ate it just once a week.

Eating fried fish, on the other hand, was linked to a higher danger of heart failure, the study found. Just one serving of fried fish a week was associated with a 48 percent increase in risk.

In addition, it mattered what kind of fish the women ate. Darker fish, like salmon, mackerel or bluefish that are higher in healthful omega-3 fatty acids, were associated with a lower heart disease risk than white fish like cod, snapper or sole.

The study, published in the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation: Heart Failure, analyzed data collected from nearly 85,000 women age 50 to 79. The women were part of the federally funded Women's Health Initiative.

Donald Lloyd-Jones, a cardiologist with Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine and the study's senior author, says the results show that "how you prepare fish is just as important as the kind of fish you're eating."

The study does raise some questions, such as, wouldn't women who ate fish several times a week already be more health-conscious and therefore less likely to have heart disease?

Still, there's so denying that fish is healthy for us. And certainly baking or broiling are lower-fat techniques than deep-frying. On that note, how about some delicious baked salmon recipes?  Here's a terrific one  for spicy salmon with a mustard and brown sugar glaze. Or try this one for baked salmon with cucumber dill sauce.

Photo credit: James Bowe via flickr.com