Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Wild Salmon Much Better Than 'Farm' Salmon

Is there any nutritional difference between wild-caught and farm-raised fish? Is one type better for me than the other?

Overview

From both a nutritional and environmental impact perspective, farmed fish are far inferior to their wild counterparts:

  • Despite being much fattier, farmed fish provide less usable beneficial omega 3 fats than wild fish.
  • Due to the feedlot conditions of aquafarming, farm-raised fish are doused with antibiotics and exposed to more concentrated pesticides than their wild kin. Farmed salmon, in addition, are given a salmon-colored dye in their feed, without which, their flesh would be an unappetizing grey color.
  • Aquafarming also raises a number of environmental concerns, the most important of which may be its negative impact on wild salmon. It has now been established that sea lice from farms kill up to 95% of juvenile wild salmon that migrate past them.(Krkosek M, Lewis MA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.)

Nutritional Differences

FDA statistics on the nutritional content (protein and fat-ratios) of farm versus wild salmon show that:

  • The fat content of farmed salmon is excessively high--30-35% by weight.
  • Wild salmon have a 20% higher protein content and a 20% lower fat content than farm-raised salmon.
  • Farm-raised fish contain much higher amounts of pro-inflammatory omega 6 fats than wild fish.

Flame Retardants: Another Reason to Avoid Farmed Salmon

+++





Is there any nutritional difference between wild-caught and farm-raised fish? Is one type better for me than the other?

Overview

From both a nutritional and environmental impact perspective, farmed fish are far inferior to their wild counterparts:

  • Despite being much fattier, farmed fish provide less usable beneficial omega 3 fats than wild fish.
  • Due to the feedlot conditions of aquafarming, farm-raised fish are doused with antibiotics and exposed to more concentrated pesticides than their wild kin. Farmed salmon, in addition, are given a salmon-colored dye in their feed, without which, their flesh would be an unappetizing grey color.
  • Aquafarming also raises a number of environmental concerns, the most important of which may be its negative impact on wild salmon. It has now been established that sea lice from farms kill up to 95% of juvenile wild salmon that migrate past them.(Krkosek M, Lewis MA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.)

Nutritional Differences

Omega 3 Fat Content

FDA statistics on the nutritional content (protein and fat-ratios) of farm versus wild salmon show that:

  • The fat content of farmed salmon is excessively high--30-35% by weight.
  • Wild salmon have a 20% higher protein content and a 20% lower fat content than farm-raised salmon.
  • Farm-raised fish contain much higher amounts of pro-inflammatory omega 6 fats than wild fish.

These unfortunate statistics are confirmed in a recent (1988-1990) study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to compare the nutrient profiles of the leading species of wild and cultivated fish and shellfish. Three species of fish that contain beneficial omega 3 fats were included: catfish, rainbow trout, and coho salmon.

Farm-raised Fish are Fattier

In all three species, the farm-raised fish were fattier. Not surprising since farm-raised fish do not spend their lives vigorously swimming through cold ocean waters or leaping up rocky streams. Marine couch potatoes, they circle lazily in crowded pens fattening up on pellets of fish chow.

In each of the species evaluated by the USDA, the farm-raised fish were found to contain more total fat than their wild counterparts. For rainbow trout, the difference in total fat (5.4g/100g in wild trout vs. 4.6 g/100g in cultivated trout) was the smallest, while cultivated catfish had nearly five times as much fat as wild (11.3g/100 g in cultivated vs. 2.3 g/100g in wild). Farm-raised coho salmon had approximately 2.7 times the total fat as wild samples.

Cultivated catfish were the worst, with 5 times the fat content of their wild counterparts. Plus, although the farm-raised catfish, rainbow trout and coho salmon contained as much or even more omega-3 fatty acids as their wild equivalents, in proportion to the amount of omega-6 fats they also contained, they actually provided less usable omega-3s.

Farm-raised Fish Provide Less Usable Omega-3 Fats

The reason for this apparent discrepancy is that both omega 3 and omega 6 fats use the same enzymes for conversion into the forms in which they are active in the body. The same elongase and desaturase enzymes that convert omega-3 fats into their beneficial anti-inflammatory forms (the series 3 prostaglandins and the less inflammatory thromboxanesand leukotriennes) also convert omega-6 fats into their pro-inflammatory forms (the series 2 prostaglandins and the pro-inflammatory thromboxanes and leukotrienes). So, when a food is eaten that contains high amounts of omega 6s in proportion to its content of omega 3s, the omega-6 fats use up the available conversion enzymes to produce pro-inflammatory compounds while preventing the manufacture of anti-inflammatory substances from omega-3s, even when these beneficial fats are present.

Farm-raised Fish Contain More Pro-inflammatory Omega-6 Fats

In all three types of fish, the amount of omega 6 fats was substantially higher in farm-raised compared to wild fish. Cultivated trout, in particular, had much higher levels of one type of omega 6 fat called linoleic acid than wild trout (14% in farm-raised compared to 5% in wild samples). The total of all types of omega 6 fats found in cultivated fish was twice the level found in the wild samples (14% vs 7%, respectively).

Wild Fish Provide More Omega-3 Fats

In all three species evaluated, the wild fish were found to have a higher proportion of omega-3 fats in comparison to omega 6 fats than the cultivated fish. The wild coho were not only much lower in overall fat content, but also were found to have 33% more omega 3 fatty acids than their farm-raised counterparts. Omega 3s accounted for 29% of the fats in wild coho versus 19% of the fats in cultivated coho. Rainbow trout showed similar proportions in fatty acid content; wild trout contained approximately 33% more omega 3s than cultivated trout, however both cultivated and wild trout did have much lower amounts of omega 6 fats than the other types of fish.

Antibiotic and Pesticide Use

Disease and parasites, which would normally exist in relatively low levels in fish scattered around the oceans, can run rampant in densely packed oceanic feedlots. To survive, farmed fish are vaccinated as small fry. Later, they are given antibiotics or pesticides to ward off infection.

Sea lice, in particular, are a problem. In a recent L.A. Times story, Alexandra Morton, an independent biologist and critic of salmon farms, is quoted as beginning to see sea lice in 2001 when a fisherman brought her two baby pink salmon covered with them. Examining more than 700 baby pink salmon around farms, she found that 78 percent were covered with a fatal load of sea lice while juvenile salmon she netted farther from the farms were largely lice-free.

While salmon farmers have discounted Morton's concerns saying that sea lice are also found in the wild, at the first sign of an outbreak, they add the pesticide emamectin benzoate to the feed. According to officials, the use of pesticides should pose no problem for consumers since Canadian rules demand that pesticide use be stopped 25 days before harvest to ensure all residues are flushed from the fish.

Scientists in the United States are far more concerned about two preliminary studies-one in British Columbia and one in Great Britain-both of which showed farmed salmon accumulate more cancer-causing PCBs and toxic dioxins than wild salmon.

The reason for this pesticide concentration is the salmon feed. Pesticides, including those now outlawed in the United States, have circulated into the ocean where they are absorbed by marine life and accumulate in their fat, which is distilled into the concentrated fish oil that is a major ingredient in salmon feed. Salmon feed contains higher concentrations of fish oil-extracted from sardines, anchovies and other ground-up fish-than wild salmon normally consume. Scientists in the U.S. are currently trying to determine the extent of the pesticide contamination in farmed salmon and what levels are safe for human consumption.

Research on this issue published July 30, 2003, by the Environmental Working Group, indicates that levels of carcinogenic chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in farmed salmon purchased from U.S. grocery stores are so much higher than levels of PCBs found in wild salmon that they pose an increased risk for cancer. PCBs have been banned in the US for use in all but completely closed areas since 1979, but they persist in the environment and end up in animal fat.

When farmed salmon from U.S. grocery stores was tested, the farmed salmon, which contains up to twice the fat of wild salmon, was found to contain 16 times the PCBs found in wild salmon, 4 times the levels in beef, and 3.4 times the levels found in other seafood. Other studies done in Canada, Ireland and Britain have produced similar findings.(September 8, 2003)

Flame Retardants: Another Reason to Avoid Farmed Salmon

Flame-retardant additives used widely in electronics and furniture are appearing in increasing amounts in fish, and farmed salmon contain significantly higher levels of these polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) compounds than wild salmon, according to research published in the August 11, 2004 issue of Environmental Science and Technology.

PBDEs are endocrine disrupters that have been shown to have reproductive toxicity, and are also suspected to play a role in cancer formation. As with other toxins, it is thought that farm-raised salmon contain higher PBDE levels than wild due to the "salmon chow," a mixture of ground fish and oil, they are fed.

The authors of this new study, Ronald Hites of Indiana University and colleagues, analyzed the same group of 700 wild and farmed salmon collected from around the world from which the data was drawn for their initial research on other contaminants in salmon, which was published in Science in January 2004.

As was the case with the 14 contaminants described in the earlier report-which included pesticides such as toxaphene and dieldrin-the researchers found the highest levels of PBDEs, on average, in farm-raised salmon from Europe. But while European farmed salmon had the highest levels, farmed North American salmon came next with significantly higher amounts of PBDEs than were found in farmed salmon from Chile, which, in turn, were higher than the average levels seen in wild salmon.

In both farmed and wild salmon, approximately 50% of the total PBDEs were in the form of one compound: brominated diphenyl ether (BDE) 47. This chemical is associated with the Penta formulation used in polyurethane foam in furniture, which, together with another formulation known as Octa, has been banned in Europe and is being discontinued in the United States. Unfortunately, (BDE) 47 can also be derived from the breakdown of the Deca formulation, which is extensively used in Europe with no plans to discontinue its use either there or in the U.S.

Researchers both in Europe and the U.S. think the problem is not just in the "salmon chow", but the environment as a whole and that PBDEs are probably reaching the open ocean and getting into the marine food web through atmospheric deposition.

To underscore this point, Ake Bergman of Stockholm University's department of environmental chemistry, one of the first scientists to present evidence that PBDEs were bioaccumulating in humans, says he has found the PBDE levels in wild European salmon are on a par with those Hites has reported for farmed European salmon.

And the environmental contamination is not limited to Europe. Wild chinook salmon from British Columbia were found to have the highest levels of PBDE contamination of any of the salmon Hites tested. He thinks this may be due to the chinooks' tendency to feed higher in the food chain throughout their adult life, eating mainly fish, unlike other salmon species that tend to consume more invertebrates and plankton.

On the other hand, wild Alaskan Chinook tested in Hites' study contained significantly lower PBDE levels, suggesting that the waters the wild chinook inhabit are more contaminated.

Surprisingly, the PBDE content patterns seen in the world's salmon do not match up with the levels found in people; samples of blood and fat from North Americans contain levels 10 times higher, on average, than Europeans, another reason to think some other source of exposure is also at work. Bergman thinks the high U.S. levels are due to inhalation of these substances.

What you can do: Beginning September 2004, U.S. supermarkets are required to label salmon as farmed or wild. We suggest that you choose wild, rather than farmed salmon, and if purchasing chinook salmon, choose Alaskan chinook.(October 10, 2004)

Synthetic Pigment Colors Flesh Pink

In the wild, salmon absorb carotenoids from eating pink krill. On the aquafarm, their rich pink hue is supplied by canthaxanthin, a synthetic pigment manufactured by Hoffman-La Roche. Fish farmers can choose just what shade of peach their fish will display from the pharmaceutical company's trademarked SalmoFan, a color swatch similar to those you'd find in a paint store. Without help from Hoffman LaRoche, the flesh of farmed salmon would be a pale halibut grey.

European health officials have debated whether the canthaxanthin added to the feed to give farmed salmon their pink hue poses any human health risk. Canthaxanthin was linked to retinal damage in people when taken as a sunless tanning pill, leading the British to ban its use as a tanning agent. (In the U.S., it's still available.)

As for its use in animal feed, European health officials have debated whether the canthaxanthin added to the feed to give farmed salmon their pink hue poses any human health risk. The European Commission Scientific Committee on Animal Nutrition (SCAN) issued a warning several years ago about the pigment and urged the industry to find an alternative. In 2002, SCAN reviewed the maximum levels of canthaxanthin in fish feeds and determined that the allowable level of 80 milligrams of canthaxanthin per kilogram in feed was too high, and that consumers who ate large amounts of salmon were likely to exceed the Acceptable Daily Intake of 0.03 milligrams per kilogram human body weight. In 1997, the EU's Scientific Committee on Food recognized a link between canthaxanthin intake and retinal problems, so in April 2002, SCAN suggested lowering the level of canthaxanthin to 25 milligrams per kilogram in feed for salmonids (baby salmon). To date, no government has banned canthaxanthin from animal feed.

Canthaxanthin was linked to retinal damage in people when taken as a sunless tanning pill, leading the British to ban its use as a tanning agent. (In the U.S., it's still available.) Consumed In high amounts, canthaxanthin can produce an accumulation of pigments in the retina of the eye and adversely affect sight.

Environmental Impact of Farm-raised Fish

A Threat to Small Commercial Fisheries

Salmon farmed in open pen nets are now the source of 50% of the world's salmon (hatchery fish account for about 30%, and wild fish provide the remaining 20%). Flooding the market with fish-farm salmon has resulted in a drop in the fisherman's asking price for wild salmon-a price decrease that has forced many small fishing boats off the water.

Polluting the Immediate Environment

Aquafarms, called "floating pig farms," by Daniel Pauly, professor of fisheries at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, put a significant strain upon their surrounding environment. According to Pauly, "They consume a tremendous amount of highly concentrated protein pellets and they make a terrific mess."

Uneaten feed and fish waste blankets the sea floor beneath these farms, a breeding ground for bacteria that consume oxygen vital to shellfish and other bottom-dwelling sea creatures. A good sized salmon farm produces an amount of excrement equivalent to the sewage of a city of 10,000 people.

Polluting the Food Chain

Sulfa drugs and tetracycline are used to prevent infectious disease epidemics in the dense aquafarm populations are added to food pellet mixes along with, in farm-raised salmon, the orange dye canthaxanthin, to color their otherwise grey flesh. These food additives drift to the ocean bottom below the open net pens where they are invariably recycled into our food stream.

A Threat to Wild Fish

Pesticides fed to the fish and toxic copper sulfate used to keep nets free of algae are building up in sea-floor sediments. Antibiotic use has resulted in the development of resistant strains that can infect not only farm-raised but wild fish as they swim past. Sea lice that infest captive fish beset wild salmon as they swim past on their migration to the ocean.

Perhaps the most serious concern is a problem fish farms were meant to alleviate: the depletion of marine life from over-fishing. Salmon aquafarming increases the depletion because captive salmon, unlike vegetarian catfish which thrive on grains, are carnivores and must be fed fish during the 2-3 year period when they are raised to a marketable size. To produce one pound of farmed salmon, 2.4 to 4 pounds of wild sardines, anchovies, mackerel, herring and other fish must be ground up to render the oil and meal that is compressed into pellets of salmon chow.

Similar to the raising of cattle, farming fish creates a problematic redistribution of protein in the food system. Removing such immense amounts of small prey fish from an ecosystem can significantly upset its balance. According to Rosamond L. Naylor, an agricultural economist at Stanford's Center for Environmental Science and Policy, "We are not taking strain off wild fisheries. We are adding to it. This cannot be sustained forever."

Salmon Farms Kill Wild Salmon

New research, conducted by PhD. student Martin Krkosek and colleagues from the University of Alberta, Canada, has established that sea lice from farms kill up to 95% of juvenile wild salmon that migrate past them.

Adult salmon are the primary hosts of sea lice. In natural conditions, adults are located far offshore when the juveniles are migrating out to sea, but fish farms put adult salmon in pens along the migration routes of juveniles, producing a cloud of sea lice through which the juveniles must migrate. Since juveniles are only one to two inches long, it takes just one or two sea lice to kill a juvenile pink or chum salmon.

The University of Alberta team concentrated on 3 migration routes along the Broughton Archipelago in British Columbia, counting sea lice on 14,000 juvenile salmon as they migrated past 7 farms along the 80 km route, and conducted mortality experiments with more than 3,000 fish.

They found an increasing number of salmon were killed over the migration season, from 9% in early spring when the sea lice population was low to 95% cent in late spring when the sea lice population was higher.

"The work is of an impeccably high standard, and will be very difficult to refute," said Dr. Andy Dobson, a Princeton University epidemiologist specializing in wildlife diseases.

"Everyone knows that only a small fraction of juvenile salmon survive to return as adults," said study co-author Dr. Mark Lewis. "The fish-farm sea lice are reducing that fraction even more."

The study's implications may be severe for wild salmon. "Even the best case scenario of an additional 10% mortality from farm-origin sea lice could push a fish stock into the red zone," said biologist Dr. John Volpe, a study co-author at the University of Victoria.

"The debate is over," said study co-author Alexandra Morton, a biologist with the Raincoast Research Society. "This paper brings our understanding of farm-origin sea lice and Pacific wild salmon to the point where we know there is a clear severe impact."

Although the study was conducted in British Columbia, the results apply globally. "This study really raises the question of whether we can have native salmon and large scale aquaculture -- as it is currently practiced -- in the same place," said Dr. Ransom Myers, a fisheries biologist at Dalhousie University. The Alberta scientists are concerned that many people may be consuming farmed fish under the false impression that they are conserving wild fish, which they say is not the case.

A Threat to Other Marine Life

Other reported environmental impacts from salmon aquaculture include seabirds ensnared in protective netting and sea lions shot for preying on penned fish. Penned salmon also directly threaten their wild counterparts, preying on migrating smolts (immature wild salmon) as they journey to the sea and competing for the krill and herring that nourish wild fish before their final journey home to their spawning grounds. Escapes of farm fish also create problems by competing with wild fish for habitat, spawning grounds and food sources. (About 1 million Atlantic's have escaped through holes in nets from storm-wracked farms in the Pacific Northwest's Puget Sound)

A Threat to Biodiversity

The interbreeding of wild and farm stocks also poses a threat of dilution to the wild salmon gene pool.

Biologists fear these invaders will out-compete Pacific salmon and trout for food and territory, hastening the demise of the native fish. An Atlantic salmon takeover could knock nature's balance out of whack and turn a healthy, diverse marine habitat into one dominated by a single invasive species.

Recently, Aqua Bounty Farms Inc., of Waltham, Mass., has begun seeking U.S. and Canadian approval to alter genes to produce a growth hormone that could shave a year off the usual 2.5 to three years it takes to raise a market-size fish. The prospect of genetically modified salmon that can grow six times faster than normal fish has heightened anxiety that these "frankenfish" will escape and pose an even greater danger to native species than do the Atlantic salmon.

A Possible Contributor to Antibiotic Resistance

Rearing fish in such high densities present problems. Infectious disease outbreaks pose financial threats to operators so vaccines and antibiotics are often used to prevent potential epidemics. Sulfa drugs and tetracycline are often added to food pellet mixes as well as canthaxanthin (an orange dye) to impart a rich red-orange color to an otherwise pale gray flesh. Antibiotics are also given to speed growth and increase profits.

In some of the more progressive salmon-rearing operations, fish farmers are raising their Chinook and other species in closed, floating pens so that antibiotics and other wastes can be filtered from the water before it's released back into the environment.

In the majority of aquafarms, however, these drugs and additives, which quickly build up in the sediment, -will invariably find their way into our food stream. In a paper published in 2002, Bent Halling-Sørensen and his colleagues at the Royal Danish School of Pharmacy noted that one such growth-promoting antibiotic-oxytetracycline-has been found in the sediment of fish-farming sites at concentrations of up to 4.9 milligrams per kilogram. These scientists are concerned that "Antibiotic resistance in sediment bacteria are often found in locations with fish farms"-and may play a growing role in the development of antibiotic resistant germs generally. Should their fears be true, aquafaming may be eroding the efficacy of life-saving drugs, argues Stuart Levy, the director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance at the Tufts Medical School in Boston.

Which type of wild salmon should I purchase? Which is best, both for me and for the environment?

When buying salmon, we suggest that you ask for line-caught Alaskan fish first. The healthiest populations and habitats exist in Alaska. In fact, due to the successful efforts of conserving and protecting wild salmon habitats, the Alaska Salmon Fishery recently received the Marine Stewardship Council's label for sustainability.

Fresh-caught, wild salmon is available nearly eight months of the year, with high quality "frozen at sea" (FAS) line-caught fish available during the interim. The Marine Stewardship Council's labels are designed to guide consumers to species that are not being over-harvested.

Plus, in a recent blind taste test hosted by Chefs Collaborative in May 2000, at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, wild Alaskan Coho salmon, frozen at sea, ranked first in flavor, texture and aroma.. Wild Oregon Chinook (also called King) salmon, fresh, came in a close second.

Fresh wild salmon too expensive for your tastes? A recent Newsweek article notes that canned salmon will not only cost you less, but is always wild.

One caveat: Fresh "Atlantic" salmon is generally farm-raised-the name refers to the species, not the fish's origin.

Essential Fatty Acid Ratios in Wild and Farmed Fish

100 grams (3.5 ounces fresh filet of: Total Omega 3 Fats Total Omega 6 Fats Ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 Fats*
Wild Coho Salmon 0.92 grams .06 grams 15.3
Farmed Coho Salmon 1.42 grams 0.46 grams 3.1
Wild Rainbow Trout .77 grams .33 grams 2.3
Farmed Rainbow Trout 1.00 grams .71 grams 1.4
Wild Channel Catfish .29 grams .24 grams 1.2
Farmed Channel Catfish .37 grams 1.56 grams .2

*The higher the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fats, the more able the body is to use the omega 3 fats. A lower ratio means that the enzymes that convert these fats into the forms in which they are active in the body are more likely to be used up by the omega 6 fats.

Table Reference:

Nettleton JA. (2000). Fatty Acids in Cultivated and Wild Fish. Presented paper, International Institute of Fisheries, Economics and Trade (IIFET), IIFET 2000 Conference: Microbehavior and Macroresults. Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, July 10-14, 2000.

Some Differences in Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals between Wild and Farmed and Fish

Contaminant Farmed Wild Type of Fish
Tributyltin (pesticide, used to keep barnacles and algae off the paint used on hulls of ships 39 micrograms 28 micrograms mussels
Dibutyltin 26 micrograms (maximum observed amount) 4 micrograms (maximum observed amount mussels
PCBs (symthetic coolants 146-460 ppb
salmon

Table References:

Amodio-Cocchieri, R.; Cirillo, T.; Amorena, M.; Cavaliere, M.; Lucisano, A., and Del Prete, U. Alkyltins in farmed fish and shellfish. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2000 May; 51(3):147-51.

Jacobs, M. N.; Covaci, A., and Schepens, P. Investigation of selected persistent organic pollutants in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), salmon aquaculture feed, and fish oil components of the feed. Environ Sci Technol 2002 Jul 1; 36(13):2797-805.

Rueda, F. M.; Hernandez, M. D.; Egea, M. A.; Aguado, F.; Garcia, B., and Martinez, F. J. Differences in tissue fatty acid composition between reared and wild sharpsnout sea bream, Diplodus puntazzo (Cetti, 1777). Br J Nutr. 2001 Nov; 86(5):617-22.

REFERENCES

Adler J. The Great Salmon Debate, Newsweek, October 28, 2002

Nettleton JA. (2000). Fatty Acids in Cultivated and Wild Fish. Presented paper, International Institute of Fisheries, Economics and Trade (IIFET), IIFET 2000 Conference: Microbehavior and Macroresults. Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, July 10-14, 2000.

Analysis of PCBs in Farmed versus Wild Salmon. Environmental Working Group, July 30, 2003.

Betts K. Salmon flame retardant research raises new questions. Science News Environmental Science and Technology, August 11, 2004.

Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services, Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 2000.

George R, Bhopal R. Fat composition of free living and farmed sea species: implications for human diet and sea-farming techniques, Br. Food J. 97:19-22, 1995.

Harvey D., Aquaculture outlook, in Aquaculture Outlook, Economic Research Service, U.S. Dept. Agriculture: Washington, DC, October, 1999.

Hites RA, Foran JA, Carpenter DO, Hamilton MC, Knuth BA, Schwager SJ. Global assessment of organic contaminants in farmed salmon. Science. 2004 Jan 9;303(5655):226-9.

Krkosek M, Lewis MA, Morton A, Frazer LN, Volpe JP. Epizootics of wild fish induced by farm fish. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Oct 17;103(42):15506-10. Epub 2006 Oct 4.

Nettleton, J.A. and Exler, J., Nutrients in wild and farmed fish and shellfish, J. Food Sci. 57: 257-260, 1992.

Simopoulos, A.P., Leaf, A. and Salem, N. Jr., Essentiality of and Recommended Dietary Intakes for Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Ann. Nutr. Metab. 43:127-130, 1999.

van Vliet T. and Katan M.B., Lower ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids in cultured than wild fish, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 51:1-2, 1990.

Weiss K. Fish farms become feedlots of the sea. L. A. Times, Dec. 9, 2002.

Labels:
--

Subscribe to emails from :
- Better World News: http://at7l.us/mailman/listinfo/bwn_at7l.us
- Learning News - children learning, how mind works: http://at7l.us/mailman/listinfo/learn_at7l.us
-
Health News - better ways of healthy living: http://at7l.us/mailman/listinfo/health_at7l.us
- Good Morning World - Robert & Barbara Muller's daily idea-dream for a better world: http://www.goodmorningworld.org/emaillist/#subscribe
or send a request a subscription to any of the three lists here.

View these blogs:
- Better World News
- Learning News
- Health News
- Good Morning World


Wednesday, May 14, 2008

New PE - Better For Health Of Body & Mind

Gym: The Next Generation
By Melanie Wong
September 2007
Chicago Athlete
http://www.chicagoaa.com/features/sept07napervillepe.html

Gone are the days of dodgeball and embarrassing fitness tests. Naperville Schools teach students heart rate monitor training and let students choose from classes like kayaking, rollerblading and Pilates- fun activities they'll do as active adults. Obesity rates are down and test scores are way up.

The hallways surrounding the gymnasium of Naperville Central High School are crowded with clusters of students clicking and stamping their heels as the sounds of their tap dance shoes reverberate throughout the halls. Amidst trying out their moves and throwing around terms like "ball change" and "straight tap," the students are enthusiastically planning out their own dance routines.

It may be unorthodox, but for the students at Central High, this is phys ed class. The tap dance class is one of many P.E. electives students can take as part of Naperville District 203's curriculum. The program has gained national attention not only for their innovative fitness methods, but for linking fitness to improved learning in the classroom.

Elementary school kids hop around on Dance Dance Revolution games, junior high students weight train with heart rate monitors on specially sized machines, and high school students scale the rock climbing wall in the school gum.

A new class of P.E.
The district's program, part of an organization called PE4Life, leaves the old stereotype of dodge ball games and whistle-wielding coaches in the dust, instead focusing on teaching students how to live physically active lifestyles and emphasizing fitness and health instead of sports and athleticism.

The program developed 15 years ago when Naperville administrators started making small changes in their P.E. classes. Phil Lawler, PE4Life Instruction and Outreach Director and retired P.E. teacher, said they were aware that P.E. programs were being cut back or eliminated nationwide. He said they began to think about ways to teach sports skills to every student, not just those who were athletically inclined, in a way that would affect them beyond graduation.

"We never stopped to look at kids in P.E. classes who aren't interested in sports. What about them?" Lawler said. Over the years the program has been incorporated into all 21 schools in the district from elementary to high school as Naperville's answer to increasing childhood obesity and diminishing P.E. requirements in schools across the country. PE4Life has also developed into a nationwide program that trains P.E. teachers and their communities to develop programs of their own. One of the program's six training academies is located at Naperville's Madison Jr. High.

At first the program was largely funded by supportive parents, but the district has also received grants and now is funded increasingly by corporate sponsors.

Lawler said he can see the effects of exercise on the students in a very tangible way. They are fitter, more enthusiastic about P.E. class and perform better in the classroom. He said that while the nationwide childhood obesity rate is about 20 percent, in Naperville schools it is only about three percent.

Naperville Central High School P.E. department chair and teacher Paul Zientarski said the key is giving students choices in their workouts and gym classes. There are a wide array of fitness and strength activities offered to students in all grades, he said, and all of them learn to use a heart rate monitor to ensure their workouts are done in their target heart rate zones.

At the high school level, the program's goal is to turn the responsibility of fitness over to students, said Lawler. Students, regardless of whether they play a school sport or not, are required to take 28 P.E. classes with requirements in fitness, team sports, individual sports, aquatic sports, gymnastics, dance and CPR training. They can choose from classes such as Pilates, bowling, self-defense, rollerblading and kayaking.

School sports cannot replace fitness instruction when it comes to preparing students to live healthy lives, said Zientarski. In fact, very few adults play team sports as their main form of exercise, he said.

He thinks that letting students choose their classes makes it more likely that they will be enthusiastic about the activities, Zientarski said. "We empower them. We give them a choice. They choose a class because they like the activity, or their friends are in it, or they like the teacher. As a result, fitness has really become a part of our school culture."

Freshmen begin with a fitness concepts class that teaches them what Lawler calls "life skills" - team building, basic cardiovascular fitness, core strength training, rhythm, and natural movements such as hopping or skipping. At the end of the course they create their own 6-week training plan.

"It's really about how to create a fitness plan to keep someone healthy. No one who graduates from here should ever have to hire a personal trainer," Zientarski said with pride.

A focus on fitness
But besides the wide array of activities Naperville's program offers, it is also unique in its focus. Heart rate monitors track individual improvement and activities are designed so that everyone participates in a non-threatening environment. Even games such as flag football are played four-on-four so that everyone touches the ball. What is important is not the score, but that students are in their optimal heart rate zone.

"We don't grade kids on their sports skills. We don't try to embarrass them. Fitness tests are all done in groups or individually in a separate room," Zientarski said. Gone are the days when the least- athletic kids stood shamefully against the bleachers waiting to be chosen for a team or the whole class watched as a student struggled to do pushups during a fitness test.

Zientarski said he used to be the mean coach blowing the whistle, but not anymore. For example, students still do the mile run, he said, but now his students go out on the track and start whenever they are ready. No one knows who is first or last, and they are graded based on their heart rate, not on their time.

"If a student runs a 15-minute mile, but their heart rate is 170 the whole time, then they're doing a pretty good job," he said. "Heart rate monitors have allowed us to assess kids and see what they were really doing, not what we as P.E. teachers thought they were doing. For some kids, walking is best. Some kids need to run. Some athletes need to run stairs at the stadium to get their heart rate up."

Lawler said they track students' fitness starting in the fourth grade. When they graduate, students will have a 25-page fitness record.

"I've seen kids in a fitness class a bit on the pudgy side, not what you would call athletic, and suddenly they get motivated," Zientarski said. "I've seen kids lose weight and start exercising."

He remembers a freshman who started the program slightly overweight and when he took his fitness tests, they showed he was very dehydrated. Zientarski talked to him about how hydration affects brain functions, and the next class the students started walking in with a water bottle.

"I never had to tell him. It was his choice to walk in with the bottle. Now a few years later he's slimmed down and looks better. He's made some big choices," Zientarski said.

Fit bodies, fit minds
However, Naperville's fitness program does not stop in the gym. The district's Learning Readiness program incorporates health and fitness in the classroom. The program is based on a Harvard Medical School psychiatry study showing that exercise stimulates the brain in ways that improves mood, attention span and readiness to learn.

"Sitting down does not increase brain function," Zientarski said. "Your body's made to be moving. When you sit down for long periods of time, part of your brain shut down."

Several high school classes took a workout course right before math and literacy classes. In the literacy classes, the students who worked out improved their reading level by a whole year over one semester. In algebra classes, students who took the P.E. course improved their scores by 20 percent compared to two percent improvement in the non- workout classes.

Central High school literacy teacher Deborah St. Vincent has her students engage in physical activity every 15 minutes. Sometimes they warm up on DDR machines or stair steppers she keeps in the back of the room. Sometimes it is as simple as asking the students to moves across the room to work with a friend of to do some stretching. "I've watched children for years. By the end of the day you know how tired you are. Common sense tells you that you need to get out of your seat. It's essential," said St. Vincent, who has taught for 32 years.

She said she has seen students benefit from the school's exercise program in grades as well as fitness. One student came in as a freshman without any athletic background and was inspired to join the track team. Now both her fitness and grades have improved, St. Vincent said.

Most teachers are on board with the program because they see its results, Zientarski said, and there are others besides St. Vincent who have adopted similar classroom methods. The school has even brought in a neurokinesiologist to talk to teachers about incorporating movement into the learning process.

Last year before the beginning of statewide testing, all the students marched to upbeat music before starting the test, and there were intervals of stretching and movement during the testing. While previous data is not available to compare, Naperville's test scores are among the highest in the state.

Not only does the program make for fitter kids and better grades, but less disciplinary problems too. Lawler said PE4Life did a study in an inner-city Kansas City school, increasing P.E. from one to five days a week. Consequently, the school had 63 percent less referrals and the students' cardiovascular health improved 200 percent.

Results like this are catching the attention of school administrators across the country, enabling such programs to get started and continue. Lawler said that in Naperville, the administration, the teachers, the parents and the community back the program.

"That's the key," he said. "You have to bring the community team in, not just the P.E. teacher."

Zientarski said the success of the program really shows that something old can evolve. Not only has the program revolutionized the traditional gym class and classroom methods, he said, but his own philosophy on fitness. He's changed his own workout program and keeps track of his activity throughout the day using a pedometer. He used to be one of the coaches that kids hated, he said.

"I truly believe most teachers get in education to make a difference in the life of kids," he said, "and I feel like in the last 10 to 12 years, I'm finally doing that."

Melanie Wong is a former Chicago-based cyclist and journalist who recently moved to Vail, Colorado, to work as a reporter (and enjoy some high altitude training).


Labels:
--

Subscribe to emails from :
- Better World News: http://at7l.us/mailman/listinfo/bwn_at7l.us
- Learning News - children learning, how mind works: http://at7l.us/mailman/listinfo/learn_at7l.us
-
Health News - better ways of healthy living: http://at7l.us/mailman/listinfo/health_at7l.us
- Good Morning World - Robert & Barbara Muller's daily idea-dream for a better world: http://www.goodmorningworld.org/emaillist/#subscribe
or send a request a subscription to any of the three lists here.

View these blogs:
- Better World News
- Learning News
- Health News
- Good Morning World


Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (Hardcover)

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (Hardcover)
by John J. Ratey (Author), Eric Hagerman (Contributor)


The following are excerpts from reviews from Amazon's listing of this book followed by the reviews.

humans are genetically built to move
incorporating an intense athletic regimen.
more movement actually increases the brain's ability to learn.
highly favorable impact of regular exercise on mental health
.
health benefits of exercise
incentive to get off the couch.

exercise is the best thing you can do for your brain
Exercise reduces your risk for Alzheimer's by 50%.
Exercise can mitigate the symptoms of depression better than drugs

help to explain and motivate individuals who suffer from any number of today's health-related problems.
inter-relationship of the mind and body
we have the capacity to improve and make the changes we seek. Exercise is the 'ruby slipper' It cranks up the brain and gets us where we want to go.

this book contradicts my outdated education on the brain, how it develops
aerobically exercises regularly.

regular aerobic exercise stimulates better and more effective mental activity.

optimal brain functioning requires plenty of blood, the right nutrients, a balance of body chemicals designed to help the brain operate, and an ability to grow new cells and connections in the brain. Each of these elements is helped by regular aerobic exercise.

The results are often measurable within a few weeks.


about thinking well and being able to learn. There are longevity and other quality of life benefits as well . . . including reduced incidence of disease and less chance of dementia.


fascinating chapter about anxiety.
Dr. Ratey says that a peptide secreted by the heart muscle when we exercise regulates stress and anxiety (atrial natriuretic peptide, p. 102). Who knew a heart valve needs to get pumping for us to feel calm, cool, and collected?

chapter on addiction
exercise produces chemicals which help us experience pleasure in life's simple things, reducing urges to seek pleasure in self-destructive ways.

kids - especially the chapters on learning and ADHD. It is so interesting to learn how our bodies can improve our brain :-)

exercise improves mind, body and soul. I've experienced it in my own life.
depression and fatigue are a result of poor dietary habits and failure to launch out of their chairs.


Since reading this book, I've upped my exercise 50%.

This is a book that every educator, every teacher, every parent, every school board member and administrator AND every student should read.

cognizant of how learning takes place neurologically and build teaching around the science.

I work with children with learning challenges
I realized that it applies to everyone. The book pulls together much research about learning, anxiety, depression, ADHD, aging, etc. and the effects of exercise on each.


This book has really gotten me and my family off the couch. It's so inspiring. I hadn't realized that exercise can promote brain-cell growth--the implications of this are huge. Filled with easy-to-understand and fascinating science as well as ideas on how to exercise, this one is a must-read.

it focuses on keeping things simple, just getting up and moving. And it explains the science behind it all:
writing is extremely coherent and understandable to a non-physics-major like me. The tone is accessible and encouraging, while being substantial and authoritative.

will inspire you to get moving.
     
I experienced severe depression.
running
impact it had on my emotional well being almost instantly

inspirational book,
provocative case studies, scientific evidence and practical information, not only provides another great reason to incorporate physical activity into your life.

provides an individualized formula to make your exercise routine have an impact on your brain, improving function and alleviating the negative effects of depression, anxiety, stress and hormonal fluctuation among others.
sharpen mental capacity.

scientific research being done worldwide
patient accounts which make this book not just informative but touching, funny and relatable as well.

appreciate my body and what I can do on a daily basis

inspire people to move.
exercise as a way to good health

be active, and need to, literally, "move" our minds.

a solution to the culture-wide epidemic of stress and learning problems that is 100% healthy, involves no medication and is completely free and accessible to everyone.

a sound explanation of how unhealthy diet and
lack of movement impairs memory and learning.

exercise improves attention, motivation, mood, and memory while decreasing anxiety, impulsivity and distractibility
a future with less dependence on medicating our children
more emphasis on supporting today's youth with the "food" they need to grow into healthier, more balanced young adults.

After reading Spark my entire viewpoint has changed. Exercise is a master key to brain functioning. Cholesterol and other system problems caused by lack of exercise are a bit ambiguous since we often can't directly feel them until we manifest some disease. Brain functioning is something else entirely. We can feel an almost immediate change after aerobic exercise. After reading Spark I definitely have become a six day a week exerciser. I need my brain functioning as well as possible, and the data in this book has made a believer out out of me.


in our highest thought processes.

the value exercise has for the learning process in high school students: improved academic performance, alertness, attention and motivation.

we can alter our mental states by physically moving.
a chapter where depression is relieved in case studies by exercise.

SPARK puts it in perspective from a scientific
point of view.

chapters on Stress and depression

If its as simple as getting on a treadmill or a bike and working out for 30-45
minutes without any side effects, then it seems only logical to do it.
"you goto workout "
"why you goto workout"

exercise will also make your
brain fit along with your body. The brain-body connection is important and
one cannot be ignored over the other.
+++


Customer Reviews


29 Reviews
5 star: 89%  (26)
4 star: 10%  (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review

     
5.0 out of 5 stars Spark - the best book I read in years, May 9, 2008
By     P. Creaven "celticmna" (Seattle, WA, USA)
(REAL NAME)  
If I had plenty of money I would buy up every copy of "Spark" on the shelves and give a copy to every Politician, Teacher and child in our nation and make them read it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Who needs to read this book? Everyone!, April 25, 2008
By     armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota)
Modern America is in love with fitness. It seems that the quest for the body beautiful has reached epidemic proportions. However, most people only think about the physical benefits of exercise. It should come as no surprise that exercise is a good idea - for the body and the mind. Although marketing gurus would have us believe that everyone in America owns a Bowflex or an Ab-Roller, it seems that the result of our overly sedentary lifestyle has largely caught up with us.

Mind you, this is not a novel idea. Even Plato conceded, "Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical exercise save it and preserve it." This tome came to us from one of the very people who helped lay the philosophical foundation of Western culture.

Building upon this platonic idea that humans are genetically built to move, Dr. John Ratey provides an excellent development of the "why" behind exercise's importance. His book, Spark: the Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain provides enough scientific evidence to spark an interest in all readers.

Dr. Ratey includes a landmark case where a school in Illinois actually reversed a negative educational trend by incorporating an intense athletic regimen. His delving into the realities there demonstrates the connection between exercise and increased intellectual acumen. Many school districts, who are currently opining for the next "magical bullet" to fix their systems, might find their money better spent on heart rate monitors that prove their students are exercising in the right zone. This methodology worked wonders in Naperville, Illinois.

It seems that Dr. Ratey wants to destroy stereotypes of unintelligent athletes. Nothing could be further from the truth: more movement actually increases the brain's ability to learn. This book provides sufficient scientific detail to prove it - to a physician, teacher, or layman. Dr. Ratey, himself a clinical associate professor of psychiatry, has no intention to aim this work exclusively at the scientifically minded, however. Even the intermittent athlete can benefit from decreased tendencies toward stress, depression, or anxiety.

Armchair Interviews says: Who needs this book? Anyone who wants to be smarter - and understand "why" exercise can provide a kick start for the brain.

     
5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Spark, April 15, 2008
By     Kenneth W. Harris (Bethesda, MD) -
(REAL NAME)  
The book documents very well the highly favorable impact of regular exercise on mental health. The fact that the author is a practicing psychiatrist lends credibility to the overall conclusion that exercise is good for you mentally as well as figuratively.

Anyone interest in the health benefits of exercise and the health risks of not exercising ought to read this book.

If you are already regularly active, the book will motivate you to be more so. If not, it should give you incentive to get off the couch.


5.0 out of 5 stars 100 reasons to exercise, April 7, 2008
By     Mark R. Pearson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  
In this groundbreaking book, Harvard psychiatrist, John J. Ratey, MD, takes us on a fascinating exploration of the impact of exercise on the brain. Most people just think exercise is good for overall health. But what's extraordinary is that exercise is the best thing you can do for your brain, not just your body. Exercise reduces your risk for Alzheimer's by 50%. It produces the protein BDNF, which is like Miracle-Gro for your brain. Exercise can mitigate the symptoms of depression better than drugs like Zoloft. Exercise can help your productivity at work. I could go on and on. After reading the book, you will have 100 reasons why you need to do aerobic exercise (for your brain) every single day.

SPARK is a terrific compliment to John Medina's new book, BRAIN RULES (full disclosure: I'm the publisher of the book). One of the 12 Brain Rules is "exercise boosts brain power." It's impossible to read these books without wanting to get up and move. Unforunately, our workplaces and schools keep us in cubicles or desks for 8 hours a day. I hope these books can do something about this problem. Sitting goes against everything we are built to do.

     
5.0 out of 5 stars SPARK: Confirmed what I believed with scientific evidence. A MUST READ, April 6, 2008
By     Charles R. Krasner "-C. Krasner" (Grosse Pointe Farms, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  
Highly recommended. It will help to explain and motivate individuals who suffer from any number of today's health-related problems.

This book explains so much about the inter-relationship of the mind and body, though a bit technical at times. A few simple diagrams / graphics would have been a nice addition - next printing perhaps.

I happened to read it after successfully weening myself from years of anti-depresents. I understand how I was able to be so successful even though my doctor lacked a firm sense of these beliefs. It helps to know the key to so much personal recovery/growth is within AND backed-up by science.

Like Dorothy in The Wizard of OZ, we have the capacity to improve and make the changes we seek. Exercise is the 'ruby slipper' It cranks up the brain and gets us where we want to go.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS BOOK! It is an important read and keeper but pass it on: Improving one's mind/body experience is the best gift we can share!



     
5.0 out of 5 stars A Concise Act of Appreciation, March 24, 2008
By     Sean E. Flanigan "Professional Consumer" (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  
I like this book because it presents the research in a more objective manner than other popular press science books that I have read over the years. This book is concise and carefully refrains from sensationalism of the link between exercise and the brain. It describes groups of studies within a certain context and it presents the findings in a way that readers will be able to discern between "evidence" and "law".

This book was fun to read because much of the content of this book contradicts my outdated education on the brain, how it develops, and how it freezes from further significant development around hormonal changes as teens. Additionally, while Piaget may describe behavior well, the inferences made about physical brain development from his ideas are also rendered obselete.

As a matter of serendipity, I also read this book at a time when I was around 15 weeks of regular exercising after being dormant for 7 years. It really helped my confidence with the decision to make investments of time and money to exercise as many days out of the week as I could.

The underlying research that is in this book should be given credit and I have to take away points for not presenting the hypothesis of all the experiments presented in the book in greater detail, because a casual reader will likely infer that all the studies were conducted on behalf of the thesis of the book.

Still, 5 Stars.


5.0 out of 5 stars Regular Aerobic Exercise Helps School Performance and Improves Mental Performance During Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Aging, March 11, 2008
By     Donald Mitchell "a Practical Optimist" (Boston)
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)     
I've read a lot about the brain in the last decade, and I thought this book was the most helpful summary I've seen of what to do differently. The thinking person is the person who aerobically exercises regularly.

Spark is an excellent summary of the brain research during the last decade or so that has added to our knowledge of how regular aerobic exercise stimulates better and more effective mental activity. Dr. Ratey considers the impact of such exercise on school-age children . . . and adults with stress, anxiety, depression, attention deficits, hormonal changes, and aging bodies. He also recommends a general exercise regime that seems to optimize what we know today from these studies.

The essence of the book can be found in the observation that optimal brain functioning requires plenty of blood, the right nutrients, a balance of body chemicals designed to help the brain operate, and an ability to grow new cells and connections in the brain. Each of these elements is helped by regular aerobic exercise. The results are often measurable within a few weeks.

So if you thought that aerobic exercise was simply about looking and feeling good, you're wrong. It's also about thinking well and being able to learn. There are longevity and other quality of life benefits as well . . . including reduced incidence of disease and less chance of dementia.

The book also explores that you don't have to do a tremendous amount of exercise to get most of the benefits.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 


     
5.0 out of 5 stars Executive Spark, March 7, 2008
By     David C. Goodrich - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  

While this review is as enthusiastically positive as the previous ones, it comes from a different perspective. My view is based on years of consulting with top leaders of major organizations about their own performance and that of their company. Too bad that SPARK wasn't available sooner. Now we realize that a physical fitness program, especially with the kinds of experiences that Dr. Ratey describes, is an essential part of the career development plan of any would be top manager. Further, Dr.Ratey's suggestions for dealing with high pressure situations are especially helpful for those who already are in positions of heavy responsibility. And the scientific and clinical content are fascinating to any one.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? YesNo
   
   
Report this | Permalink
Comment Comment


     
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Ratey Hits it Out-of-the-Park with SPARK!!!, March 2, 2008
By     C. Bergland - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  
Spark is a luminous and visionary book. John Ratey and Eric Hagerman have done a terrific job of bringing the neuroscience of exercise and the brain to the mainstream in an intelligent, inspiring and practical book.

Once I started reading Spark, I couldn't put it down. The writing is smart, effortless and heartfelt. John Ratey is on a crusade to spread the message that exercise can transform people's lives from the inside out--and he presents this case convincingly. His enthusiasm is contagious. Spark will definitely persuade and motivate readers from all walks of life to make exercise something that they seek most days of the week.

Spark is packed with tons of really valuable scientific information and case studies, but it is never a heavy read. Ratey mixes in personal anecdotes, other people's experiences and practical advice to bring the pages to life. He also manages to maintain a friendly and down-to-earth voice even when discussing potentially mind-numbingly dry neuro-science. His conversational, upbeat tone keeps the eyes from glazing over and the pages turning...The science in this book is thorough and cutting-edge without ever being stodgy or overly complicated.

Huge thanks to John Ratey and Eric Hagerman for this timely, accessible and inspiring contribution to the field of Exercise and the Brain. Reading Spark will improve your life. I highly recommend this book.

Christopher Bergland

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank Goodness for SPARK!, March 2, 2008
By     Timothy McCord (Titusville, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  
As a physical educator I have been looking for 30 years for a book like this to validate my profession. Dr. Ratey's book justifies everything done in a quality PE class. Best of all he explains the effects of exercise on the brain in an easy to understand manner. This book should become the bible for all physical educators. All PE teachers should purchase this book and give it to their administrators and school board members.

     
5.0 out of 5 stars Moods from the heart?, March 2, 2008
By     FFC "FFC" (California, USA) - See all my reviews
This book has a fascinating chapter about anxiety. Dr. Ratey says that a peptide secreted by the heart muscle when we exercise regulates stress and anxiety (atrial natriuretic peptide, p. 102). Who knew a heart valve needs to get pumping for us to feel calm, cool, and collected?

Dr. Ratey's chapter on addiction has tons of fascinating research on how exercise produces chemicals which help us experience pleasure in life's simple things, reducing urges to seek pleasure in self-destructive ways.

I recommend this book for anyone who has kids - especially the chapters on learning and ADHD. It is so interesting to learn how our bodies can improve our brain :-)

   

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear and Convincing Evidence, February 25, 2008
By     Blessedbybooks "Blessedbybooks" (Portland, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
I didn't need to read the book to be convinced exercise improves mind, body and soul. I've experienced it in my own life. Thus I have tried hard to convince others that their depression and fatigue are a result of poor dietary habits and failure to launch out of their chairs.

This book provides clear and convincing support for the author's conclusions. While the scientific jargon is scattered throughout, it is very readable, inspiring and just plain entertaining. I literally could not put it down. I took it into my office where my sedentary and overweight co workers are trying hard to incorporate exercise into their lives. Both were very impressed with the book and are more motivated than ever to 'move on' This book will save lives, read it!

   
   

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes a difference for therapists and clients, February 24, 2008
By     Allen Ivey "Allen Ivey" (Disinguished Univ. Prof. U Mass Amherst) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  
Since reading this book, I've upped my exercise 50%. I certainly wish I had read it before. But, I already feel better and know that I am on the right track.

And, Mary and I write textbooks for the counseling field. We will give a big emphasis to this book in our next revision.

Ratey is a scholar who writes for people. The knowledge he shares and his ability to communicate is incredible.

Read this book, share it with your clients, spread it around. Our country needs this book!

   
   

5.0 out of 5 stars SPARK, February 19, 2008
By     Joseph E. Herzog "bigfish344" (Fresno, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  
This is a book that every educator, every teacher, every parent, every school board member and administrator AND every student should read.

It's about time that we became cognizant of how learning takes place neurologically and build teaching around the science. 5,000 years ago, the Greeks knew that mind and body were one and that exercise was wholly integrated with "learning."

Finally we have the research to put the science into education and get the politics out. Kudos to Dr. John Ratey for writing the most meaningful and important book in American education.

5.0 out of 5 stars Spark, February 19, 2008
By     Joan M. Walker - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  
Great book for all ages. I bought it because I work with children with learning challenges, however as I read it I realized that it applies to everyone. The book pulls together much research about learning, anxiety, depression, ADHD, aging, etc. and the effects of exercise on each.

5.0 out of 5 stars ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!!!, February 15, 2008
By     Jackie Keyser "Jackie" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
This book has really gotten me and my family off the couch. It's so inspiring. I hadn't realized that exercise can promote brain-cell growth--the implications of this are huge. Filled with easy-to-understand and fascinating science as well as ideas on how to exercise, this one is a must-read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and intelligent, February 13, 2008
By     Stephen F. Milioti "Stephen F. Milioti" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  
As someone who works from home, I got this book shortly after my 30th birthday came and went, and I was still moving slowly on my resolution to exercise more. To that end, this book was the kick in the backside - literally - that I needed to get up and moving more.

I'm glad I bought this instead of buying a typical how-to exercise book with a shirtless guy on the cover - rather than filling your head with inane tricep curls and painful ab crunchers, it focuses on keeping things simple, just getting up and moving. And it explains the science behind it all: As a pretty analytical person I need to know HOW things happen - how does a plane get up off the ground, how does the stock market work, and now, how my brain and body are interconnected. This book makes me interested because it explains the how and why, rather than just preaching and shouting.

But, though there's hard science at every turn here, the writing is extremely coherent and understandable to a non-physics-major like me. The tone is accessible and encouraging, while being substantial and authoritative.

Before you go out and get an armful of fitness or exercise books, this one is required reading, because it lays down the set of fundamentals and facts that will inspire you to get moving. Highly recommended!

     
4.0 out of 5 stars Two books that changed my life!, February 10, 2008
By     Cathy Cain "Cathy C." (Boston)
I am the mother of two young children. After having my second child I experienced severe depression. A friend asked me to be her running partner and I noticed the impact it had on my emotional well being almost instantly. Since then I have become very interested in brain science & exercise. Last year I read The Athlete's Way by C. Bergland (also great, maybe more practical for newcomers--a great precursor to Dr. Ratey because it's written by an athlete rather than scientist) and now I graduated up to Ratey's book. Who knew my C+ in science would lead to this!! Thank you to Dr. Ratey

   
   
5.0 out of 5 stars as if...., February 10, 2008
By     Patricia O'Brien (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  
we need yet another reason to exercise... As the Director of Lifelong Fitness Alliance, an organization that has been advocating physical activity for 29 years, I'm well aware of the benefits of exercise. Yet this inspirational book, written in a lively style and loaded with entertaining and provocative case studies, scientific evidence and practical information, not only provides another great reason to incorporate physical activity into your life. It also provides an individualized formula to make your exercise routine have an impact on your brain, improving function and alleviating the negative effects of depression, anxiety, stress and hormonal fluctuation among others. I will be purchasing this book for both my college-aged children, and I would recommend it to anyone who has a reason to sharpen their mental capacity.


5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read!!! Run (or walk) and Get This Book!, February 6, 2008
By     Alison Levy "Ali L." (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  
Dr. John Ratey has created an invaluable and timely work that helps shed light on what exercise can do to enhance the quality and longevity of our lives. Spark is a tremendous resource for clinicians and non clinicians alike. Whether you are an olympic athlete or life long couch potato this book is definitely for you!

Dr. Ratey provides us with the latest clinical information and scientific research being done worldwide to better understand the impact of exercise on our bodies and minds. He shares personal experiences and patient accounts which make this book not just informative but touching, funny and relatable as well.

As a youngster who spent most of the time in the nurses office during gym class, I want to thank Dr. Ratey for writing this book and helping me learn about and appreciate my body and what I can do on a daily basis to try and reach my full potential.

Thanks so much, its a must read!!!
Ali L.
Boston, MA

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational!, February 6, 2008
By     Claudine N. Grange "claudine grange, APRN" (Arundel, ME) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  
I had the good fortune to hear Dr. John Ratey lecture on his new book Spark. I got a copy right away. I am a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and know the benefits of exercize; now we have some solid proof. Us health providers have to inspire people to move. As far as I'm concerned activity is the best way to mental health. Anyway John Ratey has inspired me and I thank him for this valid research and commitment to exercise as a way to good health. Any t-shirts available yet?...I dig that running stick figure. This book belongs in our hands; it inspires us to shake that thing!

Claudine Grange, APRN
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Arundel, Maine


5.0 out of 5 stars just what the doctor ordered !, February 3, 2008
By     A. B. Lopez (newbury, ma United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)  
Excellent ! Dr.J.Ratey's book lays out the "state of the science" regarding exercise and brain function, in a clear, lucid, and engaging way.We have evolved to be active, and need to, literally, "move" our minds.
I'm a clinical psychiatrist,and I'm recommending this book to all my patients !(and friends,family,and colleagues).
A.B.Lopez,M.D.


5.0 out of 5 stars SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, January 24, 2008
By     Barbara Freethy
Finally, a solution to the culture-wide epidemic of stress and learning problems that is 100% healthy, involves no medication and is completely free and accessible to everyone.

So many of us, whether parent or professional, look with alarm at the current state of our nation's youth in regard to rising obesity, decreased emphasis on outdoor play, and over-use of "screen time" on computers, video games and television. As a clinician who has worked with children for 35 years, I am concerned about the marked increased in the frequency of learning problems, attention deficits, anxiety, depression, lagging social thinking skills, and explosive behaviors.

Dr. Ratey provides a sound explanation of how unhealthy diet and
lack of movement impairs memory and learning.
He goes on to
show how exercise improves attention, motivation, mood, and memory while decreasing anxiety, impulsivity and distractibility. Dr. Ratey gives us hope for a future with less dependence on medicating our children and more emphasis on supporting today's youth with the "food" they need to grow into healthier, more balanced young adults. SPARK is a must read for all!

Barbara Baum Freethy, M.Ed.
Touchstone Psychotherapy Assc.
Portland, Maine
  

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye Opening, January 21, 2008
By     Brunello (Honolulu)
Our doctors always say to get more exercise. We always yawn and say of course; we've heard it all before. And then we are mediocre in our follow up. After reading Spark my entire viewpoint has changed. Exercise is a master key to brain functioning. Cholesterol and other system problems caused by lack of exercise are a bit ambiguous since we often can't directly feel them until we manifest some disease. Brain functioning is something else entirely. We can feel an almost immediate change after aerobic exercise. After reading Spark I definitely have become a six day a week exerciser. I need my brain functioning as well as possible, and the data in this book has made a believer out out of me.



     
70 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Brain on Exercise, January 9, 2008
By     steven langston "searcher" (Kentucky United States) - See all my reviews
This book explains in clear terms the role exercise plays in our mental processes. Moving our muscles produces proteins that play roles in our highest thought processes. Ratey says, "thinking is the internalization of movement." He illustrates this with the story of the sea squirt that hatches with a rudimentary spinal cord and 300 brain cells. It has only hours to find a spot of coral on which to put down roots or die. When it does put down roots, it eats its brain. According to Ratey only a moving animal needs a brain.

He begins with the value exercise has for the learning process in high school students: improved academic performance, alertness, attention and motivation.

He cites studies that say we can alter our mental states by physically moving. He said depression is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. He then presents a chapter where depression is relieved in case studies by exercise.

Among the areas Ratey covers are: stress, depression, ADD, and aging. This book is a great motivator for exercise.

However, Ratey's work was preceded by Glenn Doman's. Doman advocated exercise for brain injured children in the 1950s when the only 'treatment' was to institutionalize them. He later started a `super babies' program. Both the educational and medical establishments attacked and marginalized Doman's work.


5.0 out of 5 stars The brain-exercise connection finally explained !!, January 9, 2008
By     M. Bankal (NJ, USA)
(REAL NAME)  
Having ready 2 previous books by John : The users guide to brain and Driven
by distraction i was looking forward to reading SPARK. I was especially
interested in learning how John was going to tie exercise with the brain
functioning since i am a strong supporter of exercise and have experienced
its benefits. I knew before reading SPARK that exercise in some way does
make you feel better. But SPARK puts it in perspective from a scientific
point of view.
The chapters on Stress and depression particularly caught my
attention since most of us struggle with these 2 issues at some point in
life and again most of us turn to popping a pill to deal with it. If its as
simple as getting on a treadmill or a bike and working out for 30-45
minutes without any side effects, then it seems only logical to do it.
The
BDNF (Miracle-gro as John calls it) was a very interesting read for me. I
did had to go back and re-read certain topics as was it too much medical
terms to comprehend in one read. But once i got it, it became permanent and
that's the beauty of this book.
Its simple yet powerful in its message. The simplicity comes from the fact
that "you goto workout ". The power comes from the facts / data that proves
"why you goto workout". Once the reader ties the two together, the message
is very clear and hopefully will remain for a lifetime with the reader.
Today if you look around there is a lot of awareness among people about the
ill-effects of obesity. There are TV programs, advertisements, books about
why exercising is good for you and how it will help you be more fit. But
this is the only books that tells you that exercise will also make your
brain fit along with your body. The brain-body connection is important and
one cannot be ignored over the other.

Labels:
--

Subscribe to emails from :
- Better World News: http://at7l.us/mailman/listinfo/bwn_at7l.us
- Learning News - children learning, how mind works: http://at7l.us/mailman/listinfo/learn_at7l.us
-
Health News - better ways of healthy living: http://at7l.us/mailman/listinfo/health_at7l.us
- Good Morning World - Robert & Barbara Muller's daily idea-dream for a better world: http://www.goodmorningworld.org/emaillist/#subscribe
or send a request a subscription to any of the three lists here.

View these blogs:
- Better World News
- Learning News
- Health News
- Good Morning World