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Paging Dr. Gupta: Hidden Dangers Lurking in Salmon
Aired November 07, 2002 - 10:46 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Turning to medical news, we are Paging Dr. Gupta for some food for thought. Salmon has long been considered a favorite menu item for the health conscious, a heart-healthy entree with benefits in every bite. But there might be bad news to swallow about salmon as well, and that's why we bring in Dr. Sanjay Gupta, joining us today from New York.
Sanjay, good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
I'll tell you, there's a lot of debate and there's a lot of concerns over farmed fish versus wild fish. This is something that people have been talking about a great deal. Let me just sort of lay it out for you, wild fish, out in the wild, one of the important things about them is they eat a lot of smaller fish, who even eat smaller fish, who eat algae. This algae is really good ultimately for the fish; for you when you eat it, because it has what is known as omega III fatty acids. That's an important name to keep in mind, because that's the fatty acid that good for you, can actually lower your cholesterol. You'll find a lot of that actually in wild fish.
Now, the debate over farm fish and wild fish has raged on. There's been a study now, a relatively small study. But they've actually looked and compared wild fish versus farm fish. Here are some of the things they've found. There are 10 times as many PCBs, that is polychlorinated bythenls (ph). That name you don't have to remember. Basically, that's a reflection of how much pesticides, antibiotics, other contaminants are used in raising these farmed fish. There's higher pesticide levels in the farmed fish.
The methyl mercury levels -- Daryn, you and I talked about this in the past, mercury levels in fish. They're actually about the same in farmed versus wild fish. So that's not a benefit of farmed fish either.
So all those sort of point to the benefits of eating wild fish versus farm fish -- Daryn.
KAGAN: So how do you know when you're served up on that plate that that plate that that chunk of salmon you're looking at is farmed or it's a wild fish?
GUPTA: A lot of times you don't know. In fact, there's been some debate about that as well, as to whether these fish should be labeled. There is no regulation saying that it has to be labeled yet. What some people do is they label their wild fish, saying this is not farmed fish, to try and make that point, but there is no labeling, even in restaurants. Really good restaurants, for the most part, will use wild fish more so because they're quality tends to be better. There's more muscle mass in the wild fish versus the farmed fish, but for the most part, you just won't know.
KAGAN: And why would there be all those contaminants in the wild fish? I mean, I can't imagine they're dumping that in the water there.
GUPTA: It's all part of the farming process. Sometimes that does find it's way into the water as well, but it's all part of the farming process. They actually raise these farmed fish. You actually have to give them antibiotics, they're sort of kept in these pens, which are -- you can see the picture there. It doesn't look like a very fund place to live, but a lot of the PCBs and toxins are all part of the farming process that are used to try and keep these fish free of disease. Antibiotics are used as well. They find traces in antibiotics.
Daryn, they even ingest sometime fish like salmon with red dye or pink dye to make them look more pink, more like their wild counterparts.
KAGAN: Yes, well, that's no good.
Let's get to the part about how good it is for you when you eat them, the nutritional aspects of it.
GUPTA: Right, and fish is no doubt a very good food. We don't want to dissuade people from eating fish, no question about it here. Just look at some of the numbers here, the wild salmon versus the farm-raised salmon. Calories, 234 for the farm, versus 206. Fat, 14 grams in the farm, versus 9.2. While one is higher than the other, those are still pretty good numbers for any kind of food. Cholesterol, 81 versus 71 milligrams, and sodium levels you can see there as well. Maybe slightly better in the wild versus the farmed, overall.
But no doubt, fish is a very nutritious food, which is why it's become so popular. We eat about 15 pounds per year on average, and I would guess, Daryn, someone like you probably even eats a little bit more than that. It is a very healthful food.
KAGAN: What are you saying? I'm eating too much?
GUPTA: You're a healthy person.
KAGAN: Someone like you, you look like you've been eating a lot of fish.
Sanjay, you didn't know we were going to be talking about this, because you would have been mad if we told you we were going to, but there's a lot of buzz in the building today about what was in the paper today about what was in the paper earlier today, about Paging Dr. Gupta, and there literally being a doctor in the house here on Sunday. You are not usually in the building house on Sunday, but you were in. So why don't you share a few words about how you kind of were put to work when you really didn't expect to be.
GUPTA: Thanks, Daryn.
This was actually one of those situations that a person had actually collapsed in the CNN building, and had actually stopped breathing. As it turns out, the person had a seizure, which isn't that uncommon event, but actually stopped breathing as a result of that, and actually had an upper airway obstruction.
So this particular person was actually trying to breathe, even though they were unconscious, but the obstruction made it difficult to do that. And typically, what you can do in that sort of situation is just sort of tilt the chin up, and it's called the chin tilt, and that typically will open up the airway. In this particular gentleman's case, we had to do something called the jaw thrust, where you actually reach behind here, you can feel the lower part of the jaw, and actually yank that forward. And when you do that with enough force, usually that will open the airway. That was the case in this gentleman.
Thanks a lot for that, because the particular situation was a little scary, you know. I'm used to being in a hospital where I have my knives and all my tools and stuff there, and boy, it was a real colliding of my two worlds at CNN that day.
KAGAN: I'm sure that that German tourist was glad you were here, indeed, even though, we didn't mean to embarrass you with that. I know you don't like to talk about that in public, but they made me.
GUPTA: You always do everything they make you do.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We wanted to, man. We wanted to. The guy's a hero. Give him credit where credit is due. If he'd have done this on Monday, he'd have been a write-in candidate on Tuesday.
KAGAN: In Florida, where they don't even count all the ballots.
HARRIS: Yes, he's have been my write-in candidate. Way to go, Sanjay.
KAGAN: Yes, we appreciate that.
Well, hopefully, you'll come back in the next hour. No more surprises.
GUPTA: Absolutely. Good questions already coming in.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 7, 2002 - 10:46 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Turning to medical news, we are Paging Dr. Gupta for some food for thought. Salmon has long been considered a favorite menu item for the health conscious, a heart-healthy entree with benefits in every bite. But there might be bad news to swallow about salmon as well, and that's why we bring in Dr. Sanjay Gupta, joining us today from New York.
Sanjay, good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
I'll tell you, there's a lot of debate and there's a lot of concerns over farmed fish versus wild fish. This is something that people have been talking about a great deal. Let me just sort of lay it out for you, wild fish, out in the wild, one of the important things about them is they eat a lot of smaller fish, who even eat smaller fish, who eat algae. This algae is really good ultimately for the fish; for you when you eat it, because it has what is known as omega III fatty acids. That's an important name to keep in mind, because that's the fatty acid that good for you, can actually lower your cholesterol. You'll find a lot of that actually in wild fish.
Now, the debate over farm fish and wild fish has raged on. There's been a study now, a relatively small study. But they've actually looked and compared wild fish versus farm fish. Here are some of the things they've found. There are 10 times as many PCBs, that is polychlorinated bythenls (ph). That name you don't have to remember. Basically, that's a reflection of how much pesticides, antibiotics, other contaminants are used in raising these farmed fish. There's higher pesticide levels in the farmed fish.
The methyl mercury levels -- Daryn, you and I talked about this in the past, mercury levels in fish. They're actually about the same in farmed versus wild fish. So that's not a benefit of farmed fish either.
So all those sort of point to the benefits of eating wild fish versus farm fish -- Daryn.
KAGAN: So how do you know when you're served up on that plate that that plate that that chunk of salmon you're looking at is farmed or it's a wild fish?
GUPTA: A lot of times you don't know. In fact, there's been some debate about that as well, as to whether these fish should be labeled. There is no regulation saying that it has to be labeled yet. What some people do is they label their wild fish, saying this is not farmed fish, to try and make that point, but there is no labeling, even in restaurants. Really good restaurants, for the most part, will use wild fish more so because they're quality tends to be better. There's more muscle mass in the wild fish versus the farmed fish, but for the most part, you just won't know.
KAGAN: And why would there be all those contaminants in the wild fish? I mean, I can't imagine they're dumping that in the water there.
GUPTA: It's all part of the farming process. Sometimes that does find it's way into the water as well, but it's all part of the farming process. They actually raise these farmed fish. You actually have to give them antibiotics, they're sort of kept in these pens, which are -- you can see the picture there. It doesn't look like a very fund place to live, but a lot of the PCBs and toxins are all part of the farming process that are used to try and keep these fish free of disease. Antibiotics are used as well. They find traces in antibiotics.
Daryn, they even ingest sometime fish like salmon with red dye or pink dye to make them look more pink, more like their wild counterparts.
KAGAN: Yes, well, that's no good.
Let's get to the part about how good it is for you when you eat them, the nutritional aspects of it.
GUPTA: Right, and fish is no doubt a very good food. We don't want to dissuade people from eating fish, no question about it here. Just look at some of the numbers here, the wild salmon versus the farm-raised salmon. Calories, 234 for the farm, versus 206. Fat, 14 grams in the farm, versus 9.2. While one is higher than the other, those are still pretty good numbers for any kind of food. Cholesterol, 81 versus 71 milligrams, and sodium levels you can see there as well. Maybe slightly better in the wild versus the farmed, overall.
But no doubt, fish is a very nutritious food, which is why it's become so popular. We eat about 15 pounds per year on average, and I would guess, Daryn, someone like you probably even eats a little bit more than that. It is a very healthful food.
KAGAN: What are you saying? I'm eating too much?
GUPTA: You're a healthy person.
KAGAN: Someone like you, you look like you've been eating a lot of fish.
Sanjay, you didn't know we were going to be talking about this, because you would have been mad if we told you we were going to, but there's a lot of buzz in the building today about what was in the paper today about what was in the paper earlier today, about Paging Dr. Gupta, and there literally being a doctor in the house here on Sunday. You are not usually in the building house on Sunday, but you were in. So why don't you share a few words about how you kind of were put to work when you really didn't expect to be.
GUPTA: Thanks, Daryn.
This was actually one of those situations that a person had actually collapsed in the CNN building, and had actually stopped breathing. As it turns out, the person had a seizure, which isn't that uncommon event, but actually stopped breathing as a result of that, and actually had an upper airway obstruction.
So this particular person was actually trying to breathe, even though they were unconscious, but the obstruction made it difficult to do that. And typically, what you can do in that sort of situation is just sort of tilt the chin up, and it's called the chin tilt, and that typically will open up the airway. In this particular gentleman's case, we had to do something called the jaw thrust, where you actually reach behind here, you can feel the lower part of the jaw, and actually yank that forward. And when you do that with enough force, usually that will open the airway. That was the case in this gentleman.
Thanks a lot for that, because the particular situation was a little scary, you know. I'm used to being in a hospital where I have my knives and all my tools and stuff there, and boy, it was a real colliding of my two worlds at CNN that day.
KAGAN: I'm sure that that German tourist was glad you were here, indeed, even though, we didn't mean to embarrass you with that. I know you don't like to talk about that in public, but they made me.
GUPTA: You always do everything they make you do.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We wanted to, man. We wanted to. The guy's a hero. Give him credit where credit is due. If he'd have done this on Monday, he'd have been a write-in candidate on Tuesday.
KAGAN: In Florida, where they don't even count all the ballots.
HARRIS: Yes, he's have been my write-in candidate. Way to go, Sanjay.
KAGAN: Yes, we appreciate that.
Well, hopefully, you'll come back in the next hour. No more surprises.
GUPTA: Absolutely. Good questions already coming in.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
