- A new study says a global shift from red meat to forage fish consumption has the potential to dramatically decrease death rates from noncommunicable diseases.
- Forage fish such as herring, anchovies, and sardines are a rich source of omega-3s and other essential nutrients and are also more environmentally sustainable than red meat.
- However, experts question the feasibility of this dietary shift in low- and middle-income regions, where the shift would have the greatest impact.
A recent study aimed to estimate the potential national and global health benefits of substituting red meat with forage fish such as anchovies, herring, and sardines.
According to the findings, replacing red meat with forage fish could prevent up to 750,000 deaths and lower disability linked to diet-related diseases by 2050.
The researchers emphasize this dietary shift could be particularly beneficial for low and middle-income countries due to the affordability and abundance of these fish in those regions, alongside the severe impact of heart disease in these areas.
The study is published in BMJ Global Health.
The researchers constructed distinct scenarios to assess the effects of substituting red meat with forage fish based on anticipated dietary trends in 137 countries by the year 2050.
They used a comparative risk assessment framework to investigate how such substitutions could reduce the global burden of diet-related noncommunicable diseases in adults.
Among the proposed scenarios, prioritizing fish distribution to regions with low fish consumption, particularly in lower and middle-income countries, showed the most promise in diminishing global disease burdens.
Their comprehensive analysis suggested that substituting red meat with forage fish could potentially save between 500,000 to 750,000 lives by reducing diet-related diseases by the year 2050, primarily by lowering the incidence of coronary heart disease.
Implementing this change could also help decrease the years lived with disability by 8…
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