contessaPeople must get tired of pondering whether all the foods that taste good are also good for their health. For some, enjoying any food that contains even a hint of flavor verges on a dietary taboo. Eating shrimp is no different, right?
A landmark study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and Rockefeller University in New York cleared these succulent delicacies of crimes against the heart, arteries, and veins. Researchers found that those on a low-fat diet that included large quantities of steamed shrimp showed no increases in blood cholesterol levels.1 The report also indicates that, in truth, shrimp may even lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
Shrimp contains Omega 3 fatty acids, a highly beneficial fish oil. Research indicates that Omega 3 fatty acids raise HDL cholesterol levels and protect against heart disease. Eating shrimp, therefore, can actually lower blood cholesterol levels.2
1Effects of shrimp consumption on plasma lipoproteins. American Journal Clinical Nutrition, Nov. 1996; 64: 712 – 717.
2Nothing Fishy about DHA’s Benefits. U.S. Department of Agriculture; Agricultural Research Service; Food & Nutrition: Research Briefs; Oct. 1998.
Cholesterol travels through the bloodstream in lipoproteins, or little fat and protein packages. Scientists have determined that a positive ratio between two types of cholesterol—low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, and high-density lipoprotein, or HDL—maintains steady blood cholesterol levels and reduces susceptibility to heart disease. LDL is often called “bad cholesterol” because it can intensify the production of artery-blocking plaques that can lead to a heart attack. In contrast, HDL is considered “good cholesterol” because it carries cholesterol back to the liver for reprocessing or passing, clearing the bloodstream of cholesterol.
“Eating shrimp produced lower ratios of total to HDL cholesterol and of LDL to HDL cholesterol,” says Jan L. Breslow, M.D., senior author of the Harvard study and past president of the American Heart Association. “High levels of lowdensity [LDL] and very-low-density [VLDL] lipoproteins contribute to heart attacks by causing atherosclerosis, blockages of the heart’s arteries that affect millions of Americans annually. In contrast, increases in high-density [HDL] lipoproteins reduce the risk for heart disease.”