Baked or Broiled Fish may Reduce Stroke Risk
Reported January 25, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Eating baked or broiled fish, such as tuna, may lower stroke risk in the elderly. But fish that’s fried can increase stroke risk, according to a new study.
Darian Mozaffarian, M.D., M.P.H., from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues evaluated 4,775 adults 65 and older. Study participants answered food-frequency questionnaires to determine dietary habits and were followed for 12 years.
Results show 626 of the participants experienced incident strokes, including 529 ischemic strokes. Those who ate broiled or baked fish one- to four-times per week had a 27-percent lower risk of ischemic stroke compared to participants with an intake of less than once a month. When intake increased to five-or-more times per week, there was a 30-percent lower risk.
Fried fish or fish sandwiches offered no such benefits, according to the study, increasing stroke risk in general. Ischemic stroke risk rose by 44 percent when fried fish was consumed more than once a week compared to those who only ate this type of fish less than once a month. Fish intake was not associated with hemorrhagic stroke.
The study’s authors note these results suggest fish consumption can impact stroke risk later in life.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2005;165:200-206