Eating fish lowers death risks


Wednesday, 25 July, 2018

Eating fish lowers death risks

Eating lots of fish can reduce the risk of dying in both men and women by 8–9%, depending on how it’s cooked.

Researchers from Zhejiang University followed 240,729 men and 180,580 women from the NIH‐AARP Diet and Health Study for 16 years, assessing their dietary intake via questionnaires. During this time, 54,230 men and 30,882 women died.

The team found that a higher intake of fish and long-chain omega-3 fatty acid was associated with lower total mortality. Men who ate the most fish had 9% lower total mortality, 10% lower cardiovascular disease mortality, 6% lower cancer mortality, 20% lower respiratory disease mortality and 37% lower chronic liver disease mortality. Women had 8% lower total mortality, 10% lower cardiovascular disease mortality and 38% lower Alzheimer’s disease mortality.

Men and women with the highest intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acid also had a 15% and 18% reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, respectively.

But before you reach for the Friday night fish and chips, the researchers warned that fried fish did not show the same positive health effects. While it did not have an impact on men’s lifespans, women who ate lots of fried fish had an increased risk of death from all causes.

The study concluded, “Our findings support current guidelines for fish consumption while advice on non‐frying preparation methods is needed.”

The study was published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/DanielVincek

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