The American Heart Association is weighing in on the health benefits of eating fish.

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New guidelines published in the Nov. 18 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association call for people to eat omega-3 fatty acids from fish and plant sources to protect their hearts.

"Omega-3 fatty acids are not just good fats; they affect heart health in positive ways," said Penny Kris-Etherton, lead author of the report. She said they make the blood less likely to form clots that cause heart attacks and protect against irregular heartbeats that cause sudden cardiac death.

The report looks at the heart-health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids while taking into consideration the recent cautions about the presence of contaminants in certain species of fish from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration.

Since 2000, the AHA has recommended that healthy adults eat at least two servings of fish that contain omega-3 fatty acids per week, such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon.

The report cautions people who take omega-3 fatty acids in supplement form to do so only under a doctor's care. According to the FDA, high intakes could cause excessive bleeding in some people.

The benefits and risks of eating fish depend largely on people's stage of life. Children and pregnant and nursing women may be at higher risk of mercury exposure and at low risk for heart disease. Thus, these groups should try harder to avoid potentially contaminated fish, Kris-Etherton said.

But for middle-aged and older men, and postmenopausal women, the benefits of eating fish far outweigh the risks, the report said.