By John Salak –
Is the past prologue? Many would argue that the past is, in fact, a peak into the future. With this in mind, consider the idea of swallowing small fish whole. It was an undeniable craze in the late 1930s, supposedly started by a $10 bet at Harvard that was won by Lothrop Withington when he gulped a live goldfish.
Lothrop’s gobble set off a brief craze across pre-war campuses that eventually led to the establishment of the International Goldfish Gulping Association (IGGA) to verify records for live fish munchers. The last recorded title ultimately went to a Clark University student who sucked down 89 live goldfish in one setting.
So is live fish gobbling now a pathway to health? Well, not exactly, but there is a health link. A study out of Japan just announced that women who eat small fish whole at least three times a month were less likely to die from cancer or other causes than those who rarely consume them.
The catch, thankfully, is that these small fish don’t have to be eaten live—or even raw. Cooked, smoked, salted, etc. did nicely for the purpose of this study. Conducted as a multi-institutional effort involving various Japanese universities and medical facilities, the study noted that many Asian countries, including Japan, are already well into the practice.
“Japanese people habitually eat several types of small fish, including whitebait, Atlantic capelin (shishamo), Japanese smelt (Hypomesus nipponensis) (wakasagi), small horse mackerel, young sweetfish and small dried sardine, as a whole. These small fish are consumed in a variety of ways, such as raw or marinated in vinegar, simmered in soy sauce, salted semi-dried and deep-fried,” the research team reported.
This practice supports a healthy diet. “They (small fish) are a good source of micronutrients such as [calcium], vitamins and fatty acids when consumed with bones and organs,” the team noted, especially pointing out the inherent “anti-tumor effects of vitamins A and D” as well as the presence of omega-3 fatty acids. These have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation and support brain function.
Unlike large fish in which the bones and organs are often discarded, chowing down on whole small fish may be even better for women because the bone eyes and inner organs of these fish are reservoirs of most micronutrients, including calcium and vitamin A.
Admittedly, the research, which involved tracking the dietary habits of close to 100,000 Japanese residents, didn’t yield the same benefits for men as women when it comes to consuming whole small fish. But lead researcher Dr. Chinatsu Kasahara of Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine noted that the lack of noticeable benefits for men may be a statistical anomaly.
Regardless, everyone should consider making fish central to their diet whether they are big or small ones, he advised.
“Previous studies have revealed the protective effect of fish intake on health outcomes, including mortality risks. However, few studies have focused on the effect of the intake of small fish specifically on health outcomes,” Kasahara added, explaining the rationale for his team’s focus.
Besides, the switch to tiny fish is simple. “Small fish are easy for everyone to eat, and they can be consumed whole, including the head, bones and organs,” Kasahara said. “The inverse relationship between the intake of small fish and the mortality risk in women underscores the importance of these nutrient-dense foods in people’s diets.”
