Robert Herriman – In the latest issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 3 researchers from the United States suggest that farmed fish fed contaminated cow parts could transmit Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD), the human form of mad cow disease.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a fatal brain disease in cattle, which scientists believe can cause Creutzfeldt Jakob disease in humans who eat infected cow parts.
Dr. Robert P. Friedland, a neurologist at University of Louisville in Kentucky and colleagues want government regulators to ban feeding cow meat or bone meal to fish until the safety of this common practice can be confirmed.
There is no proof that it’s possible for fish to transmit CJD to humans. Friedland said that even though there is no evidence, he believes the practice of feeding rendered cows to fish should be prohibited. He also said there is no guarantee it can’t happen and with the incubation of CJD being years or decades, it’ll make the association of feeding the fish cow parts and CJD infection difficult.
“Fish do very well in the seas without eating cows,” say Friedland. “Enhanced safeguards need to be put in place to protect the public,” he concludes.
Dietary consumption of fish is widely recommended because of the beneficial effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on the risks of cardiovascular and Alzheimer’s diseases. The American Heart Association currently recommends eating at least two servings of fish per week
