Fish consumption and frying of fish in relation to type 2 diabetes incidence: a prospective cohort study of Swedish men

Abstract

PurposeEpidemiological evidence on the association between fish consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes is heterogeneous across geographical regions. Differences related to fish consumption pattern could possibly help explain the discrepancy between the findings. We therefore aimed to investigate the association between fish consumption (total, fried, specific fish items) and type 2 diabetes incidence, taking exposure to contaminants present in fish (polychlorinated biphenyls and methyl mercury) into consideration.MethodsThe population-based Cohort of Swedish Men, including 35,583 men aged 45–79 years, was followed from 1998 to 2012. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) using Cox proportional hazards models.ResultsDuring 15 years of follow-up, 3624 incident cases were identified. Total fish consumption (≥4 servings/week vs. <1 serving/week) was not associated with type 2 diabetes in multivariable-adjusted analysis (HR 1.00; 95 % CI 0.85–1.18); however, a statistically non-significant inverse association was observed after adjustment for dietary contaminant exposures (HR 0.79; 95 % CI 0.60–1.04). Fried fish (≥6 servings/month vs. ≤1 servings/month) and shellfish consumption (≥1 serving/week vs. never/seldom) were associated with HRs of 1.14 (95 % CI 1.03–1.31) and 1.21 (95 % CI 1.07–1.36), respectively.ConclusionsWe observed no overall association between total fish consumption and type 2 diabetes. The results indicated that dietary contaminants in fish may influence the relationship. Fried fish and shellfish consumption were associated with higher type 2 diabetes incidence. These findings suggest that more specific advice on fish species sub-types (varying in contamination) and preparation methods may be warranted.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00394-015-1132-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Fish consumption is inversely associated with type 2 diabetes in Manitoba First Nations communities

“…The heterogeneity may also originate from differences in the type and amount of fish consumed as well as the concentrations of contaminants in fish species that were not considered in previous studies (Lee and Jacobs 2010). In fact, Wallin et al (2015) reported that dietary contaminants in fish may influence the relationship between fish consumption and T2D prevalence. Limited data on the association between fish consumption and T2D prevalence are available for the Indigenous population.…”

Maternal intake of fried foods and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus

“…Our results are consistent with some, but not all, previous studies assessing type 2 diabetes and fried fish intake in men and non-pregnant women. For example, in a population-based cohort of Swedish men, fried fish intake (≥6 servings/month vs. ≤1 servings/month) was significantly associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes, (hazard ratio=1.14 ; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.31) [31]. In another study, African American women who consumed fried fish 1 to 3 times per month had 21 % higher risk of type 2 diabetes compared to women that never consumed fried fish (IRR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.37) [8].…”

Fish–derived proteins and their potential to improve human health

“…5,6 The results of studies investigating the possible associations between fish consumption and development of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are, however, inconsistent. [7][8][9][10][11][12] The beneficial effects of diets rich in fish have, to a large extent, been attributed to the marine n-3 PUFAs. 13,14 However, studies reporting beneficial health effects of lean fish in both animals and humans suggest that substances other than the marine n-3 PUFAs, such as fish protein, may beneficially influence metabolic health by improving insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism, lipid status, and body composition.…”