It’s been a great time for oily fish recently provided you’re not one yourself, of course. The fish may provide protection against asthma, especially among children, and they could be good for diabetes, too.

Australian researchers have found that a diet high in oily fish has helped give a group of Sydney children protection against asthma. The risk of contracting asthma among children who regularly ate fresh oily fish was just 0.26 times (Med Jrnl of Aus, 1996; 164: 137-40).

Oily fish or more precisely fish oil capsules have also helped a group of diabetics. Earlier research had suggested that the capsules might worsen glucose tolerance, but new research among 78 obese volunteers proves otherwise. The oil successfully lowered their hypertension, without affecting their glucose tolerance (Ann of Int Med, 1995; 123: 911-8).

But it’s not been all plain sailing for oily fish. A report from Scandinavia warns that people who eat oily fish contaminated with organochlorine residues increase their risks of contracting breast cancer. Scan Jrnl of Work and Env Hlth, 1995; 21: 419-26.