Inadequate sleep duration may attenuate the anti-inflammatory effects of fish consumption in a healthy Japanese population: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

High fish consumption may be associated with lower inflammation, suppressing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Long sleep duration, as well as short sleep, may contribute to inflammation, thus facilitating ASCVD. This study investigated the overall association between fish consumption, sleep duration, and white blood cell (WBC) count. We conducted a cross-sectional study between April 2019 and March 2020 with a cohort of 8947 apparently healthy participants with no history of ASCVD (average age, 46.9 ± 12.3 years and 59% males). The average frequency of fish consumption and sleep duration were 2.13 ± 1.26 days/week and 6.0 ± 0.97 h/day. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that increased fish consumption was an independent determinant of sleep duration (β = 0.084, p < 0.0001). Additionally, habitual aerobic exercise (β = 0.059, p < 0.0001) or cigarette smoking (β = -0.051, p < 0.0001) and HOMA-IR (β = -0.039, p = 0.01) were independent determinants of sleep duration. Furthermore, multivariate linear regression analysis identified fish consumption as an independent determinant of WBC count (β = -0.091, p < 0.0001). However, a significant U-shaped curve was found between WBC count and sleep duration, with 6–7 h of sleep as the low value (p = 0.015). Higher fish consumption may be associated with a lower WBC count in the presence of adequate sleep duration and healthy lifestyle behaviors. However, long sleep duration was also related to increased inflammation, even in populations with high fish consumption. Further studies are needed to clarify the causality between these factors.

Association of Higher N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Consumption and Aerobic Exercise with Lower Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio: Implications of Anti-Atherosclerotic Effect of Fish Consumption

“…Specifically, a healthy lifestyle including aerobic exercise, regulates the immune system, leading to anti-inflammatory effects [8]. Inadequate (short or long) sleep also leads to high white blood cell (WBC) counts, indicating chronic inflammation [9]. Several clinical trials have evaluated the efficacy of n-3 PUFAs in inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, or bronchial asthma.…”