Fish consumption and blood lipids in three ethinic groups of Québec (canada)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare fish intake and plasma phospholipid concentrations of n-3 fatty acids, in particular of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), among representative population samples of Québecers, James Bay Cree, and Inuit of Nunavik (Canada). The relationships between these concentrations and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors were also investigated and compared in the three populations. In 1990-1992, the study subjects had participated in the extensive Santé Québec health surveys conducted in southern Québec, James Bay, and Nunavik. Significant differences in levels of CVD risk factors were found among these three populations. Globally, Inuit showed the lowest risk status for CVD compared with Cree and Québecers, despite the high prevalence of cigarette smoking and obesity. Daily fish intakes varied significantly among the three groups, averaging 13, 60, and 131 g for Québecers, Cree, and Inuit, respectively. Concentrations of EPA + DHA in plasma phospholipids were highest among Inuit (8.0%), second-highest among Cree (3.9%), and lowest among Québecers (1.8%). When the three populations were grouped together, there was a positive association between concentrations of EPA + DHA stratified into quartiles and HDL cholesterol, with a significant relation in quartile 4 (EPA + DHA > or = 4.04%). An inverse relation was also found between EPA + DHA and triacylglycerols in quartile 4. Our results indicate that increased consumption of fish as a source of n-3 fatty acids is beneficially associated with levels of HDL cholesterol and triacylglycerols.

Compliance with the European and national nutritional objectives in a Mediterranean population

“…This correlation has been widely studied in phospholipid fatty acids (Dewailly et al, 2003;Laidlaw and Holub, 2003;Mozaffarian et al, 2005) but little information has still been reported for total fatty acids. A recent study conducted in Japan, one of the areas with the highest fish consumption in the world, examined the association between the intake frequency of fish with longchain n-3 fatty acids in serum of 1257 subjects (Wakai et al, 2005) and the calculated coefficients of correlation were lower than the found in the present study.…”

The “Good Cholesterol”

“…If you quit smoking, then your HDL-C can increase up to 15% to 20%, an elevation on par with some of the best drugs available for raising HDL-C. Increased fish 7 and reduced carbohydrate consumption both are associated with higher HDL-C. The so-called Mediterranean diet (a diet enriched with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, and legumes) is associated with increased HDL-C. 8 Alcohol consumption can raise HDL-C significantly, 6 but this benefit must be counterbalanced with knowledge of the risks of alcohol consumption.…”

Food security in Nunavut, Canada: barriers and recommendations.

“…A diet rich in Inuit traditional food is thought to protect from cardiovascular disease and diabetes due to relatively high levels of n-3, mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids and low levels of n-6 fatty acids (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). Other dietary characteristics include high intakes of antioxidants, vitamins, micronutrients and phytochemicals (2,(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13).…”