Not Medical Advice: No. As reported by Fox News, tilapia has as much omega-3 as other popular seafood, including lobster, mahi-mahi and yellowfin tuna. Tilapia is also very low in fat. A 4-ounce serving of tilapia has about 1 gram of saturated fat, 29 grams of protein and around 200 mg of omega-3.
As explained by registered dietitian Melainie Rogers, founder of Balance Nutrition, a treatment center specializing in eating disorders in New York City, “Not all fish have the same fatty acid profile, but tilapia in moderation is fine. It has lower cholesterol than red meat – plus it’s easy to cook.”
Tilapia is the world’s second most farmed fish (after carp)—and the fourth most consumed type of seafood in the U.S. (after shrimp, tuna, and salmon). The term tilapia actually refers to several related fish species that originated in the Middle East and Africa but are now farmed all over the world. Though its production is growing in the U.S., most of the tilapia we eat here is imported from Asia and Latin America.
Of interest, a genetic key to salt tolerance was discovered in tilapia fish.
Most fish live either in freshwater or saltwater, but others, including tilapia, have the remarkable ability to physiologically adjust to varying salinity levels — a trait that may be critically important as climate change begins to alter the salinity of ocean and coastal waters as well as the water in desert, lakes and creeks. Find out more at Feedstuffs.