Abstract While increasing seafood consumption may help address micronutrient deficiencies and metabolic disorders, evidence supporting this recommendation in the Indian context remains limited and inconclusive. Using the nationally representative cross-sectional 2019-2021 National Family Health Survey dataset, we investigated the association of fish consumption frequency with anemia and metabolic disorders (overweight/obesity, hypertension, and hyperglycemia) among adult men (aged 15-54 years) and women (aged 15-49 years) in India. A control function (CF) method was employed to examine the association in individuals who consumed fish daily and those who reported consuming fish daily/weekly. The analysis was restricted to conformed non-vegetarians (who reported ever consuming egg, fish, or meat). Overall, 86.9% of men and 74.7% of women were conformed non-vegetarian. CF analysis revealed that both daily and daily/weekly fish consumption were associated with a reduced risk of anemia among both men and women. Daily fish consumers exhibited increased likelihood of overweight/obesity (men: β: 0.405, 95%CI: 0.074, 0.735, p:0.017; women: β: 0.248, 95%CI 0.125, 0.370, p<0.001). Conversely, daily/weekly fish intake was associated with a reduced risk of overweight/obesity in men (β: -0.041, 95%CI: -0.069, -0.013; p:0.004). Daily/weekly fish consumption was associated with a reduced risk of hypertension and increased odds of hyperglycemia among men. Fish consumption demonstrated a potentially protective relationship against hypertension in women, regardless of how often they consumed fish, while also being associated with a higher prevalence of hyperglycemia. Indian adults can improve their health by eating more fish, which can help fight anemia and may also reduce overweight/obesity and high blood pressure.
Kumar et al. (2025) studied this question.