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From the University of Kuopio (J.K.V.), School of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, Research Institute of Public Health, Finland; Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology (D.S.S.) and Department of Neurology (W.T.L.), University of Washington, Seattle; Department of Epidemiology (L.H.K.), University of Pittsburgh, PA; and Harvard Medical School (D.M.) and Harvard School of Public Health (J.K.V., D.M.), Boston, MA.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Jyrki K. Virtanen, University of Kuopio, School of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, Research Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland jyrki.virtanen{at}uku.fi
Objective: To investigate the association between fish consumption and subclinical brain abnormalities.
Methods: In the population-based Cardiovascular Health Study, 3,660 participants age 
65 underwent an MRI scan in 1992–1994. Five years later, 2,313 were scanned. Neuroradiologists assessed MRI scans in a standardized and blinded manner. Food frequency questionnaires were used to assess dietary intakes. Participants with known cerebrovascular disease were excluded from the analyses.
Results: After adjustment for multiple risk factors, the risk of having one or more prevalent subclinical infarcts was lower among those consuming tuna/other fish 3 times/week, compared to <1/month (relative risk 0.74, 95% CI = 0.54–1.01, p = 0.06, p trend = 0.03). Tuna/other fish consumption was also associated with trends toward lower incidence of subclinical infarcts. Additionally, tuna/other fish intake was associated with better white matter grade, but not with sulcal and ventricular grades, markers of brain atrophy. No significant associations were found between fried fish consumption and any subclinical brain abnormalities.
Conclusions: Among older adults, modest consumption of tuna/other fish, but not fried fish, was associated with lower prevalence of subclinical infarcts and white matter abnormalities on MRI examinations. Our results add to prior evidence that suggest that dietary intake of fish with higher eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid content, and not fried fish intake, may have clinically important health benefits.
Abbreviations: ARR = absolute risk reduction; BMI = body mass index; CHD = coronary heart disease; CHS = Cardiovascular Health Study; DHA = docosahexaenoic acid; EPA = eicosapentaenoic acid; FFQ = food frequency questionnaire; HDL-C = high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C = low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; PUFA = polyunsaturated fatty acid; RR = relative risk.
The research reported in this article was supported by contracts N01-HC-35129, N01-HC-45133, N01-HC-75150, N01-HC-85079 through N01- HC-85086, N01 HC-15103, N01 HC-55222, and U01 HL080295 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, with additional contribution from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. A full list of participating CHS investigators and institutions can be found at http://www.chs-nhlbi.org. Additional support was provided by grants from the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Helsingin Sanomat Centennial Foundation, Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, and University of Kuopio, for J.K. Virtanen.
Disclosure: The authors report no disclosures.
Received November 2, 2007. Accepted in final form May 1, 2008.
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