A Quantitative Analysis of Fish Consumption and Stroke Risk

Abstract

Although a rich source of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that may confer multiple health benefits, some fish contain methyl mercury (MeHg), which may harm the developing fetus. U.S. government recommendations for women of childbearing age are to modify consumption of high-MeHg fish to reduce MeHg exposure, while recommendations encourage fish consumption among the general population because of the nutritional benefits. The Harvard Center for Risk Analysis convened an expert panel (see acknowledgements) to quantify the net impact of resulting hypothetical changes in fish consumption across the population. This paper estimates the impact of fish consumption on stroke risk. Other papers quantify coronary heart disease mortality risk and the impacts of both prenatal MeHg exposure and maternal intake of n-3 PUFAs on cognitive development. This analysis identified articles in a recent qualitative literature review that are appropriate for the development of a dose-response relationship between fish consumption and stroke risk. Studies had to satisfy quality criteria, quantify fish intake, and report the precision of the relative risk estimates. The analysis combined the relative risk results, weighting each proportionately to its precision. Six studies were identified as appropriate for inclusion in this analysis, including five prospective cohort studies and one case-control study (total of 24 exposure groups). Our analysis indicates that any fish consumption confers substantial relative risk reduction compared to no fish consumption (12% for the linear model), with the possibility that additional consumption confers incremental benefits (central estimate of 2.0% per serving per week).

Fish consumption, methylmercury and child neurodevelopment

“…In a series of papers, Cohen et al examined the risks and benefits of fish consumption, including methylmercury exposure and child cognitive development [11], prenatal n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and cognitive development [27], and adult fish consumption and risk for stroke and coronary heart disease [28,29], and combined these outcomes according to their estimated effects on quality adjusted life years for the population as a whole [30]. The effects of changes in fish consumption varied depending upon the hypothesized scenario.…”

Fish intake, mercury, long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of stroke in northern Sweden

“…Fish consumption has been reported to have a protective effect against stroke, although studies have not been consistent 1,2 . A possible explanation of the inconsistency could be that fish contains both protective and noxious agents.…”

Fish Oil Metabolites: Translating Promising Findings from Bench to bedside to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease

“…The antiinflammatory effects of resolvins and protectins have implications for numerous cardiovascular diseases for which few effective therapies are available including stroke [15,37], renal ischemia-reperfusion injury [4,18] and retinopathy [5,15]. Although the encouraging data on these disorders has been generated from animal research, the likelihood that these lipid mediators will have similar effects in humans should be high considering some previously published data regarding EPA and DHA in humans [38][39][40].…”