The Study
Thyroid neoplasia associated with nutritional deficiency in cultured jade perch in Hong Kong
This study is like telling a story about a group of sick fish on one farm. It shows that these fish had thyroid problems and were eating bad food, but it doesn’t prove the bad food caused the sickness. We can say they happened together, but not that one caused the other.
Analysis score
Maximum 30 for a case report.
Where the score came from
Some fish on a farm got lumps in their necks because their food didn’t have enough iodine and vitamin C. Scientists looked at the fish and the food and found the problem.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 59 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This shows that bad nutrition can cause serious health problems in fish, and possibly in other animals too.
- 23,000 fish had swollen necks.
- 3Their food was missing key nutrients.
- 4Some had growths in their thyroid that ranged from too many cells to cancer.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation
Year
2024
Authors
S. C. H. Chan, Zwok Zu Lim, A. C. F. Leung, T. H. Cheng, K. P. Cheng, Sophie St-Hilaire, Andrew M. D. Ferguson
Related Content
Claims (4)
Not getting enough iodine might cause abnormal cell growth in important glands and organs like the thyroid, breasts, uterus, and prostate.
Farmed jade perch are getting tumors in their thyroid because their food is missing important nutrients like iodine and vitamin C — scientists found this by checking the fish tissues and their feed.
Fish raised on farms might get thyroid tumors over time if their food lacks important nutrients, and we've seen signs of this in jade perch that were fed a poor diet.
If jade perch on fish farms are fed homemade food that's really low in iodine and vitamin C, they might end up with thyroid problems — and this was seen in real farm conditions by checking the food and the fish's tissues.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.