The Truth About Salmon

Published by marie claire

Genetically modified salmon is one seriously hot topic, so we got a doc to separate the fishy facts from reality.

By Joanne Chen

PHOTO CREDIT: JAMES BAIGRIE

Genetically modified salmon is controversial. But what about those confusing descriptions — "organic," "wild," "Scottish"? David Carpenter, Ph.D., explains.

MYTH: Organic is best.

TRUTH: There's no standard for organic fish, so go with wild. Organic implies antibiotics aren't put in the water, but the salmon still get feed that has contaminants.

MYTH: Skip all farmed salmon.

TRUTH: If you can't get wild, opt for farmed Canadian, which has fewer contaminants than farmed European.

MYTH: Mercury is the issue with farmed salmon.

TRUTH: Salmon has little mercury. Dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyls, and other toxins are the culprits.

MYTH: Wild salmon has more omega-3s than farmed.

TRUTH: Farmed salmon has more. They're fed fish oil. But the toxin risks outweigh the benefits of the fatty acids.