Too much of a Good Thing?

If you‘ve been eating lots of salmon to reap the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, here‘s something you may want to consider: Researchers have found that many fish, particularly fatty freshwater fish like salmon, contain unacceptable levels of polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs. These chemicals have been linked to various health problems, including low birth weights, weakened immune systems, and brain cancers. But there may be a way to cleanse your system.

In a new study from the Maharishi University of Management, in Fairfield, Iowa, volunteers who turned out to have surprisingly high blood levels of PCBs went through a two-week series of Ayurvedic detox procedures, including herbal steam baths and enemas, oil massages, and dietary supplementation. Six weeks later, their PCB levels fell 46 percent.

There’s an even simpler way to reduce risk. Choose wild-caught, mostly vegetarian fish that haven’t ingested PCBs from eating other fish or the meal fed to farmed fish. Try carp, trout, catfish, scallops, and oysters. To keep up with those omega-3s, look for wild fish such as red salmon, chum, and Atlantic mackerel. 

—Joyce Slaton