Friday, February 13, 2015

13/02/2015: Fishy alternative to a bandage – the healing power of tilapia

The days of dressing a wound with bandages could be numbered after scientists discovered a more effective method – using fish, the Daily Mail reports.

Collagen-rich fibres from the tilapia fish were found to boost skin growth on wounds faster than normal dressings.
 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2951619/Fishy-alternative-bandage-Fibres-tilapia-species-boost-skin-growth-faster-rate-normal-dressings.html

The dinner-table alternative to cod is plentiful, cheap and boneless. Now it seems they also carry magical healing properties too, thanks to collagen, a protein usually associated with non-surgical cosmetic treatment.

Experts at Shanghai University have said it 'could be a good candidate for clinical use' after successful animal trials.

Collagen is found in many animals and is known to promote healthy skin growth - which is why it is often used as a celebrity beauty treatment.

But collagen from mammals like cows and pigs has been found to be dangerous because it can pass on infections from animal to human. However, tilapia collagen is 'benign'.

Rats treated with the fish dressing saw their wounds heal faster than those with more traditional dressings with no side effects or allergic reactions.

The plentiful fish, nicknamed 'the chicken of the sea' as it can be cooked and prepared in so many differernt ways, is found naturally in sea and fresh water and is successfully farmed in all climates, from Vietnam to Lincolnshire.

It is fast replacing varieties of fish whose numbers are becoming scarce in the wild, particularly in America where it is now one of the top five fish dishes in the country.
 

Read the article HERE.

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