January 17, 2001JAMA
Intake of Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Risk of Stroke in Women
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Discussion
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Implication
Prospective cohort study shows reduced thrombotic stroke risk with higher fish intake in women, indicating dietary fatty acids offer subtype-specific vascular protection.
Key Points
- To examine the association between fish and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid consumption and the risk of specific stroke subtypes in women.
- Followed 79,839 women aged 34 to 59 years from the Nurses' Health Study cohort with no prior cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or hypercholesterolemia over 14 years (1,086,261 person-years).
- Assessed dietary intake of fish and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids using a validated food frequency questionnaire and tracked incident strokes by subtype.
- Compared with fish intake less than once per month, eating fish 2 or more times per week significantly reduced the risk of thrombotic infarction (multivariate RR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.26-0.93), with a nonsignificant trend for total stroke (multivariate RR for ≥5 times per week, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.21-1.06; P for trend = .06).
- Women in the highest quintile of long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake had a reduced risk of total stroke (multivariate RR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.53-0.99), an association seen primarily among women who did not regularly take aspirin.
- Neither fish consumption nor omega-3 fatty acid intake was associated with the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
Cite This Study
Hiroyasu Iso (2001) studied this question.