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Markers of high fish intake are associated with decreased risk of a first myocardial infarction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

C. G. Hallgren ,
G. Hallmans ,
J.-H. Jansson ,
S. L. Marklund ,
F. Huhtasaari ,
A. Schütz ,
U. Strömberg ,
B. Vessby  and
S. Skerfving
C. G. Hallgren
Affiliation:
Unit for Community Medicine, County Council of Västerbotten, 901 85 Umeå, Sweden Department of Family Medicine, Umea University, 901 85 Umea, Sweden
G. Hallmans
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Nutritional Research ,Umea University, 901 85 Umea, Sweden
J.-H. Jansson*
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Skelleftea Hospital, 931 86 Skellef, Sweden
S. L. Marklund
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Biosciences, Clinical Chemistry, Umea University, 901 85 Umea, Sweden
F. Huhtasaari
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Sunderby Hospital, 971 80 Lulea, Sweden
A. Schütz
Affiliation:
Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden
U. Strömberg
Affiliation:
Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden
B. Vessby
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, 751 25 Uppsala, Sweden
S. Skerfving
Affiliation:
Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden
*
*Corresponding author: Dr J.-H. Jansson, fax +46 910 771 157, email janhakan.jansson.ss@vll.se
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Abstract

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High intake of fish has been associated with reduced risk of CHD. The high content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in fish has been suggested to be a protective factor. In addition, fish is the entirely dominating source of methylmercury for the general population, and the concentration of Hg in erythrocytes (Ery-Hg) is often used as an index of fish consumption. Our aim was to study the relationships between a first-ever myocardial infarction, Ery-Hg, activity of gluthathione peroxidase in erythrocytes (Ery-GSH-Px) and plasma concentration of the n-3 PUFA eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids (P-PUFA). In a population-based prospective nested case–control study within Northern Sweden seventy-eight cases of a first-ever myocardial infarction were compared with 156 controls with respect to Ery-Hg, P-PUFA and Ery-GSH-Px. Both Ery-Hg and P-PUFA, but not Ery-GSH-Px, were significantly (P<0·0001) higher in subjects reporting high fish intake (at least one meal per week) than in those with lower intake. This finding suggests that Ery-Hg and P-PUFA reflect previous long-term fish intake. Low risk of myocardial infarction was associated with high Ery-Hg or high P-PUFA. In a multivariate model the risk of myocardial infarction was further reduced in subjects with both high Ery-Hg and high P-PUFA (odds ratio 0·16, 95 % CI 0·04, 0·65). In conclusion, there is a strong inverse association between the risk of a first myocardial infarction and the biomarkers of fish intake, Ery-Hg and P-PUFA, and this association is independent of traditional risk factors.

Keywords

Fish intakeMercuryn-3 polyunsaturated fatty acidsMyocardial infarction
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 86 , Issue 3 , September 2001 , pp. 397 - 404
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2001

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