Relationship between oily fish intake and breast cancer based on estrogen receptor status: a Mendelian randomization study.

OBJECTIVE: We used a Mendelian randomization (MR) method in our research to examine the relationship between genetically determined oily fish intake and breast cancer (BC) incidence. METHODS: The summary data pertaining to the oily fish intake were acquired from the UK Biobank, which consisted of a sample size of 460,443 people. Information on BC was received from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC). We analyzed the causal connection between oily fish intake and BC incidence using various methods, including inverse variance weighting (IVW). Heterogeneity was investigated using Cochran's Q test. IVW, MR-Egger, and MR-PRESSO methods were used for sensitivity analysis. In addition, a multivariate MR adjusted for body mass index (BMI) and weight was used for further research. RESULTS: Two-sample MR results showed that oily fish intake was negatively associated with total breast cancer (odds ratio (OR) 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39-0.87, IVW method), estrogen receptor-positive (ER +) breast cancer (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.21-0.93, IVW method), and estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) breast cancer (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.30-0.93, IVW method). The sensitivity analysis did not observe the presence of heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy. In multivariate MR analysis, the negative association between oily fish intake and total breast cancer (P = 0.03) and ER- breast cancer (P = 0.04) risk persisted after adjusting for BMI and body weight. However, no correlation was found in ER + breast cancer (P = 0.30). CONCLUSION: The oily fish intake has a negatively correlated with the incidence of total breast cancer, particularly in the cases of ER- breast cancer. There is a lack of substantial evidence supporting a link between the oily fish intake and the incidence of ER + breast cancer.

Adherence to Mediterranean diet is inversely associated with depressive symptoms in older women: findings from the NutBrain Study.

Data on the association of the Mediterranean diet (MD) with depressive symptoms in older people at high risk of depression are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the cross-sectional association of the adherence to the MD and its components with depressive symptoms in an Italian cohort of older men and women. A total of 325 men and 473 women aged 65­97 years (2019­2023) answered a 102-item semi-quantitative FFQ, which was used to calculate the Mediterranean diet score (MDS). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale; subjects with a score of 16 or more were considered to have depression. Multivariable logistic regression was used for statistical analysis. The occurrence of depressive symptoms was 19·8 % (8·0 % men, 27·9 % women). High adherence to MDS (highest tertile) significantly reduced the odds of having depressive symptoms by 54·6 % (OR 0·454, 95 % CI 0·266, 0·776). In sex-stratified analysis, the reduction was evident in women (OR 0·385, 95 % CI 0·206, 0·719) but not in men (OR 0·828, 95 % CI 0·254, 2·705). Looking at the association of MDS components with depressive symptoms, we found an inverse significant association with fish consumption and the MUFA:SFA ratio above the median only in women (OR 0·444, 95 % CI 0·283, 0·697 and OR 0·579, 95 % CI 0·345, 0·971, respectively). High adherence to the MDS, and a high fish intake and MUFA:SFA ratio were associated with lower depressive symptoms in women only. Future longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these findings and to explore the underlying biological mechanisms.

Fish intake and mercury exposure in young children.

Fish consumption is one of the main sources of mercury (Hg) exposure, but few studies have examined Hg exposure from fish consumption among children. This study aimed to assess the frequency of fish intake and associations with Hg and other element concentrations among 700 three-year-old children from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Usual fish intake was derived from a validated food frequency questionnaire (Block Questionnaire for ages 2-7) and toenail element concentrations were determined using ICP-MS. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the association between fish intake and toenail element concentrations. A mixture analysis, using Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, was used to estimate the relative contribution of fish consumption to element exposures. Twenty-three percent of children were reported to consume at least one fish meal/week on average during the previous 6 months. In adjusted linear regression models, children with any type of fish consumption versus no consumption had 108% (95% confidence interval (CI: 68%, 153%)) higher toenail Hg concentrations. To a lesser extent, children consuming "other fish (not fried) including tuna" and "fried fish or fish sticks" had 120% (95% CI: 82%, 164%), and 23% (95% CI: 2%, 51%) higher toenail concentrations, respectively, than those consuming no fish. Using WQS regression, Hg was the element most strongly related to fish consumption. Fish intake among young children was related to Hg exposure even at low levels of consumption. Future studies will need to determine the health consequences of this exposure.

Infantile allergic diseases: a cohort study prenatal fish intake and mercury exposure context.

BACKGROUND: Allergic diseases (ADs) have been increasingly reported in infants and children over the last decade. Diet, especially the inclusion of fish intake, may help to lower the risk of ADs. However, fish also, can bioaccumulate environmental contaminants such as mercury. Hence, our study aims to determine what effects the type and frequency of fish intake have on ADs in six-month-old infants, independently and jointly with mercury exposure. METHODS: This study is part of the prospective birth cohort: Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study in South Korea. Data was collected on prenatal fish intake, prenatal mercury concentration and ADs for infants aged six months for 590 eligible mother-infant pairs. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the risk of prenatal fish intake and mercury concentration on ADs in infants. Finally, interaction between fish intake and mercury concentration affecting ADs in infants was evaluated. Hazard ratios of prenatal fish intake on ADs in 6 month old infants were calculated by prenatal mercury exposure. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis showed that white fish (OR: 0.53; 95% CI 0.30-0.94; P < 0.05) intake frequency, once a week significantly decreased the risk of ADs in infants. Stratification analysis showed that consuming white fish once a week significantly reduced the hazard of ADs (HR: 0.44; 95% CI 0.21-0.92; P < 0.05) in infants in the high-mercury (≥ 50th percentile) exposure group. CONCLUSION: The result indicates that prenatal white fish intake at least once a week reduces the risk of ADs in infants, especially in the group with high prenatal mercury exposure.

Estimation and predictors of the Omega-3 Index in the UK Biobank.

Information on the Omega-3 Index (O3I) in the United Kingdom (UK) is scarce. The UK-Biobank (UKBB) contains data on total plasma n3-PUFA% and DHA% measured by NMR. The aim of our study was to create an equation to estimate the O3I (eO3I) from these data. We first performed an inter-laboratory experiment with 250 random blood samples in which the O3I was measured in erythrocytes by GC, and total n3 % and DHA% were measured in plasma by NMR. The best predictor of eO3I included both DHA% and a derived metric, the total n3 %-DHA%. Together these explained 65 % of the variability (r = 0·832, P < 0·0001). We then estimated the O3I in 117 108 UKBB subjects and correlated it with demographic and lifestyle variables in multivariable-adjusted models. The mean eO3I was 5·58 % (sd 2·35 %) in this UKBB cohort. Several predictors were significantly correlated with eO3I (all P < 0·0001). In general order of impact and with directionality (-, inverse and +, direct): oily-fish consumption (+), fish oil supplement use (+), female sex (+), older age (+), alcohol use (+), smoking (-), higher waist circumference and BMI (-), lower socioeconomic status and less education (-). Only 20·5 % of eO3I variability could be explained by predictors investigated, and oily fish consumption accounted for 7·0 % of that. With the availability of the eO3I in the UKBB cohort, we will be in a position to link risk for a variety of diseases with this commonly used and well-documented marker of n3-PUFA biostatus.

Dietary oily fish intake reduces the risk of all-cause mortality in frequent fish consumers of Amerindian ancestry living in coastal Ecuador: the Atahualpa project.

PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between dietary oily fish intake and all-cause mortality in a population of frequent fish consumers of Amerindian ancestry living in rural Ecuador. METHODS: Individuals aged ≥ 40 years enrolled in the prospective population-based Atahualpa Project cohort received annual questionnaires to estimate their dietary oily fish intake. Only fish served broiled or cooked in the soup were included for analysis. Poisson regression and Cox-proportional hazards models adjusted for demographics, education level and cardiovascular risk factors were obtained to estimate mortality risk according to the amount of oily fish intake stratified in tertiles. RESULTS: Analysis included 909 individuals (mean age: 55.1 ± 12.8 years) followed by a median of 7.5 ± 3 years. Mean oily fish intake was 9.4 ± 5.7 servings per week. A total of 142 (16%) individuals died during the follow-up. The mortality rate for individuals in the first tertile de oily fish intake (0.0-6.29 servings) was 2.87 per 100 person-years, which decreased to 1.78 for those in the third tertile (10.59-35.0 servings). An adjusted Cox-proportional hazards model showed that individuals allocated to the second (HR 0.61; 95% CI 0.41-0.92) and third (HR 0.60; 95% CI 0.40-0.91) tertiles of dietary oily fish intake had significantly lower mortality risk than those in the first tertile. CONCLUSION: Sustained oily fish intake of more than six servings per week reduces mortality risk in middle-aged and older adults of Amerindian ancestry.

Fish intake and risk of melanoma in the NIH-AARP diet and health study.

PURPOSE: Prior epidemiological studies evaluating the association between fish intake and melanoma risk have been few and inconsistent. Few studies distinguished different types of fish intake with risk of melanoma. METHODS: We examined the associations between intake of total fish and specific types of fish and risk of melanoma among 491,367 participants in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. We used multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: During 6,611,941 person-years of follow-up with a median of 15.5 years, 5,034 cases of malignant melanoma and 3,284 cases of melanoma in situ were identified. There was a positive association between higher total fish intake and risk of malignant melanoma (HR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.11-1.34 for top vs. bottom quintiles, ptrend = 0.001) and melanoma in situ (HR = 1.28, CI = 1.13-1.44 for top vs. bottom quintiles, ptrend = 0.002). The positive associations were consistent across several demographic and lifestyle factors. There were also positive associations between tuna intake and non-fried fish intake, and risk of malignant melanoma and melanoma in situ. However, fried fish intake was inversely associated with risk of malignant melanoma, but not melanoma in situ. CONCLUSIONS: We found that higher total fish intake, tuna intake, and non-fried fish intake were positively associated with risk of both malignant melanoma and melanoma in situ. Future studies are needed to investigate the potential biological mechanisms underlying these associations.

Fish consumption during pregnancy and risk of allergic diseases in the offspring: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Although several studies have reported the beneficial effects of maternal fish consumption on allergy diseases in the offspring, the findings are conflicting. We summarized earlier data on the association between maternal fish intake and risk of allergy diseases in the offspring through a meta-analysis. A systematic literature search of relevant reports published in Medline/PubMed, ISI web of Science, EMBASE, SCOPUS and Google Scholar prior to February 2020 was conducted. All observational studies (cross-sectional, case-control or cohort) that examined the relationship between intake of maternal fish and risk of allergy diseases in the offspring were considered. Duplicate and non-related studies were excluded. In total, 31 studies on maternal fish consumption and risk of allergic diseases in the offspring were included. Greater maternal fish intake was associated with a reduced risk of wheeze (Pooled effect size: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.96-0.99) and food allergy (0.75; 95% CI: 0.64-0.88). Maternal fish consumption was not associated with risk of asthma (pooled effect size: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.89, 1.11), eczema (pooled effect size: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.84, 1.03), allergic rhinitis (pooled effect size: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.75, 1.09), and inhalant allergy (pooled effect size: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.66, 1.13). In non-linear dose-response meta-analysis, increased intake of fish during pregnancy (at the level of 50 to 200 grams per week) was associated with a reduced risk of eczema (P non-linearity = 0.042). Meta-regression of included studies revealed an inverse linear association between maternal fish intake and risk of eczema; such that every additional 30-gram per week consumption of fish during pregnancy was associated with a 4% reduced risk of eczema. We found that fish intake during pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of wheeze, eczema and food allergy in children. No significant association was seen between maternal fish consumption and risk of offspring's asthma, allergic rhinitis, and inhalant allergy.

Impact of air pollution exposure on the risk of Alzheimer's disease in China: A community-based cohort study.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia. Impact of air pollution (AP) on the risk of AD is unclear. It is unknown which air pollutants are independently associated with AD and whether fish consumption mitigated the association. We carried out a community-based cohort of 6115 participants aged ≥60 years in China to examine the association of PM2.5, PM10, CO, NO2, SO2 and O3 exposure with AD, and differences in the association between people with low and high consumption of fish. The participants were randomly recruited from six counties in Zhejiang province for health survey to document socio-demographic and disease risk factors in 2014, and were followed up to diagnose AD in 2019. A total of 986 cohort members were diagnosed with AD. Based on the daily mean air pollutants monitored in 2013-2015 in the counties, participants were divided into low, middle and high AP exposure groups for subsequent analysis. The multiple adjusted odds ratio (OR) of AD in participants living with the middle and high levels of PM2.5 exposure versus the low exposure were 1.50 (95% CI 0.90-2.50) and 3.92 (2.09-7.37). The increased ORs were also with PM10 (1.74, 0.65-4.64; 3.00, 1.22-7.41) and CO (2.86, 1.32-6.20; 1.19, 0.45-3.18), but not with NO2 (0.63, 0.17-2.27; 0.95, 0.28-3.19), SO2 (0.44, 0.19-1.001; 1.21, 0.56-2.62), and O3 (0.38, 0.20-0.74; 0.50, 0.21-1.21). There were no significant interaction effects of AP with fish consumption on AD. However, participants with low consumption of fish appeared to have higher ORs in PM2.5 exposure (1.80, 1.39-2.33; 5.18, 3.93-6.82) than those high consumption (1.38, 0.78-2.47; 2.89, 1.50-5.59). Our findings of PM2.5, PM10 and CO exposure significantly increased the risk of AD and the potential mitigating effect of fish consumption on the association provide evidence for developing effective strategies for AD reduction and air pollution control.

Effect of high intake of cod or salmon on serum total neopterin concentration: a randomised clinical trial.

PURPOSE: Primarily, to investigate the effect of high intake of cod (lean fish) or salmon (fatty fish) on serum concentration of total neopterin, a marker of cellular immune activation that is associated with cardiovascular disease. Second, to investigate effects of high cod/salmon intake on antioxidant vitamins and elements essential for activity of antioxidant enzymes. METHODS: In this randomised clinical trial, 63 participants with overweight/obesity consumed 750 g/week of either Atlantic cod (N = 22) or Atlantic salmon (N = 22) or were instructed to continue their normal eating habits but avoid fish intake (Control group, N = 19) for 8 weeks. Food intake was recorded, and fasting serum were collected at baseline and endpoint. RESULTS: Serum total neopterin concentration was reduced in the Cod group (median change - 2.65 (25th, 75th percentiles - 3.68, - 0.45) nmol/l, P = 0.018) but not in the Salmon group (median change 0.00 (25th, 75th percentiles - 4.15, 3.05) nmol/l, P = 0.59) when compared with the Control group after 8 weeks. The estimated daily intake of selenium, iron, magnesium and zinc were similar between all groups. Increased serum concentration of selenium was observed only after cod intake when compared to the Control group (P = 0.017). Changes in serum concentrations of copper, iron, magnesium, all-trans retinol, α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol were similar between the groups. CONCLUSION: A high intake of cod, but not of salmon, lowered serum total neopterin concentration when compared to the Control group. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02350595.

Gender differences in the associations among fish intake, lifestyle, and non-HDL-C level in Japanese subjects over the age of 50 years: Anti-atherosclerotic effect of fish consumption.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Higher fish consumption may lead to the suppression of atherogenesis. The present study was aimed at investigating the gender differences in association with the frequency of fish intake, lifestyle behaviors and serum non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) levels. METHODS AND RESULTS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a cohort of 4320 (2479 males, 1570 females) healthy Japanese subjects over 50 years of age registered at the Health Planning Center of Nihon University Hospital between April 2018 and March 2019. The average weekly frequency of fish intake was 2.58 ± 1.39 days in males and 2.42 ± 1.36 days in females. In males, the serum non-HDL-C level decreased significantly as the weekly frequency of fish intake (0-1 days, 2-3 days, 4-5 days, or 6-7 days) increased (p < 0.0001). Multiple stepwise regression analysis identified the weekly frequency of fish intake (ß = -0.056, p = 0.004) and habitual aerobic exercise (ß = -0.063, p = 0.001) as independent determinants of the serum non-HDL-C level. On the other hand, no such associations were observed in females. However, the proportion of subjects engaging in habitual aerobic exercise increased as the frequency of fish intake increased even among females. CONCLUSIONS: A higher frequency of fish intake may be associated with healthier lifestyle behaviors and lower non-HDL-C levels in males, but not in females. There appear to be gender differences in the relationships between the intake of fish and lifestyle behaviors on lipid metabolism. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: umin (http://www.umin.ac.jp/) Study ID: UMIN000035899.

Association among daily fish intake, white blood cell count, and healthy lifestyle behaviors in an apparently healthy Japanese population: implication for the anti-atherosclerotic effect of fish consumption.

Higher fish consumption has been reported to be associated with a lower incidence of coronary artery disease. We hypothesized that a higher frequency of fish intake may be associated with lower peripheral white blood cell (WBC) counts, a marker of chronic inflammation, which is known to be involved in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), and a healthy lifestyle. This cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2018 and August 2018 at the Health Planning Center of Nihon University Hospital in a cohort of 4105 apparently healthy subjects. The average frequency of fish intake was 2.3 ± 1.3 days per week. The WBC count decreased significantly as the frequency of fish intake (0-2 days, 3-4 days, or 5-7 days per week) increased (s < 0.0001). Multivariate linear regression analysis identified higher weekly frequency of fish intake as a significant independent determinant of a lower WBC count (ß = - 0.051, p = 0.001). Furthermore, as the weekly frequency of fish intake increased, the proportion of habitual cigarette smokers decreased (p = 0.021), that of subjects engaging in habitual aerobic exercises increased (p < 0.0001), and the weekly alcohol intake frequency increased (p < 0.0001). Moreover, the above-mentioned lifestyle behaviors were also independent determinants of the WBC count. These results suggest that a high frequency of fish intake might be associated with healthier lifestyle behaviors as well as lower WBC counts, and thus may both exert beneficial anti-inflammatory effects and represent a component of healthier lifestyle behaviors associated with a lower risk of ASCVD in Japanese. This association may be partially related to the preventive effects of a higher fish intake on ASCVD events. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN ( http://www.umin.ac.jp/ ) Study ID: UMIN000039197 retrospectively registered 1 February 2020.

Higher Frequency of Fish Intake May Be Associated with a Lower Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio: Anti-Atherosclerotic Effects of Fish Consumption.

BACKGROUND: Higher fish consumption has been reported to be associated with a lower incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD). An elevated neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a marker of systemic inflammation, is reportedly associated with the development of adverse CAD events. We hypothesized that a higher fish intake was associated with a lower NLR. METHODS AND RESULTS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a cohort of 8,237 Japanese subjects who had no history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease registered at the Health Planning Center of Nihon University Hospital between April 2018 and March 2019. The average weekly frequency of fish intake was 2.32 ± 1.31 days. The NLR decreased significantly as the weekly frequency of fish intake (0 day, 1-2 days, 3-4 days, or 5-7 days) increased (p = 0.001). A multiple stepwise regression analysis identified the weekly frequency of fish intake (ß = -0.045, p < 0.0001) and habitual alcohol intake (ß = -0.051, p < 0.0001) as significant but weak, negative, and independent determinants of the NLR. Conversely, the presence of metabolic syndrome (ß = 0.046, p < 0.0001), the presence of treatment for diabetes mellitus (ß = 0.054, p < 0.0001), and the presence of treatment for hypertension (ß = 0.043, p < 0.0001) were significant positive and independent determinants of the NLR. CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest that a higher frequency of fish intake appears to be associated with a lower NLR, suggesting an anti-systemic inflammation effect. This association may partially explain the preventive effects of a higher fish intake on CAD events.

Association between meat and saturated fatty acid intake and lung cancer risk: The Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study.

Red meat or saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake has been reported to increase lung cancer (LC) risk in several western countries. However, in Asia, studies on the relationship between meat and SFA intake with LC incidence are still relatively insufficient, and their conclusions are inconsistent. We investigated the association of meat and SFA intake with LC incidence in a population-based prospective cohort study in Japan. Cox regression was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for LC risk according to meat intake and SFA intake. A total of 73 187 participants (32 934 men and 40 253 women) aged 45 to 74 years participated in our study. During the follow-up period of 1 151 839 person-years (median, 16.0 year) from 1995 to 2013 for Cohort I and from 1998 to 2013 for Cohort II, 1315 (901 men and 414 women) newly diagnosed cases of LC were identified. In men, we found an adverse association between total red meat intake (HR and 95% CI: 1.25 [1.02-1.53]; Ptrend = .008) and LC risk. Additionally, borderline statistically significant elevated risks of LC were seen with high intake of unprocessed red meat and processed red meat. However, no positive association between total red meat intake and LC risk was observed in women. In contrast, poultry and fish intake were not associated with LC risk in either men or women. We concluded that a high total intake of total red meat was associated with moderately elevated LC risk in men.

Dietary intake of fish and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of postpartum depression: a nationwide longitudinal study - the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

BACKGROUND: Pregnant women require increased levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) due to the demands of the growing fetus. Although some evidence indicates that maternal intake of fish and n-3 PUFAs is associated with reduced risk of postpartum depression, the results are inconsistent. METHODS: We investigated whether dietary consumption of fish and/or n-3 PUFAs during pregnancy is associated with a reduced risk of maternal postpartum depression at 6 months after delivery and of serious mental illness at 1 year in a Japanese population. After exclusion and multiple imputation from a dataset comprising 103 062 pregnancies obtained in the Japan Environment and Children's Study, we evaluated 84 181 and 81 924 women at 6 months and 1 year after delivery, respectively. RESULTS: Multivariable logistic regression showed a reduced risk of postpartum depression at 6 months in the second to fifth quintiles v. the lowest quintile for fish and n-3 PUFA intake, with trend tests also revealing a significant linear association. At 1 year after delivery, fish intake was associated with a reduced risk of serious mental illness in the second to fifth quintiles v. the lowest quintile for fish and in the third to fifth quintiles v. the lowest quintile for n-3 PUFA intake, with trend tests also revealing a significant linear association. CONCLUSIONS: Women with higher fish and/or n-3 PUFA intake showed reduced risk of postpartum depression at 6 months after delivery and of serious mental illness at 1 year after delivery.

Association of daily fish intake with serum non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and healthy lifestyle behaviours in apparently healthy males over the age of 50 years in Japanese: Implication for the anti-atherosclerotic effect of fish consumption.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Higher fish consumption has been reported to be associated with a lower incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD). We hypothesized that higher fish intake may be associated with lower serum level of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) levels, representing the entire dyslipidemia spectrum, and a healthy lifestyle. METHODS AND RESULTS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of 1270 apparently healthy males over the age of 50 years without lipid-modifying therapy at the Health Planning Center of Nihon University Hospital between April and August 2018. The average number of days of fish intake per week was 2.6 ± 1.4. We performed analysis of variance using fish consumption as a categorical variable (0-1 day, 2-3 days, 4-5 days, or 6-7 days per week). The serum non-HDL-C levels in the 6-7 days fish intake group were significantly lower than those in the 0-1 and 2-3days fish intake groups. Furthermore, with increasing frequency of fish intake per week, the proportion of subjects with cigarette smoking decreased (p = 0.026), that of subjects engaging in habitual aerobic exercises increased (p = 0.034), and the sleep duration of the subjects increased (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that a high frequency of fish intake, that is a fish intake of 6-7 days per week, was associated with healthier lifestyle behaviours as well as lower non-HDL-C levels, and thus may represent a component of a healthy lifestyle associated with a lower risk of CAD in Japanese males over the age of 50. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN (http://www.umin.ac.jp/). STUDY ID: UMIN000035899.

A simple questionnaire for the prediction of vitamin D deficiency in Japanese adults (Vitaimn D Deficiency questionnaire for Japanese: VDDQ-J).

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is associated with an increased risk of various diseases. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration is the best marker for vitamin D status and its concentration < 20 ng/mL indicates VDD. However, its measurement is not easily applicable for the evaluation of vitamin D status in the general population because of its cost. Therefore, we aimed to develop a simple questionnaire for easily identifying the risk of VDD. From the total sample (649 healthy subjects aged 19-70 years), 434 and 215 subjects were randomly assigned to the derivation and the validation cohort, respectively. Prediction model for VDD was developed by backward logistic regression analysis. The regression ß coefficients of the significant predictors were transformed into integral numbers and used for the individual score. These individual scores were summed to calculate the total risk score (VDD questionnaire for Japanese score: VDDQ-J score). VDD was present in 54.1% of the total subjects. The model for the prediction of VDD consisted of 7 predictors. Areas under the curve were 0.78 and 0.75 in the data set of internal validation and of the external validation, respectively. The cutoff value was determined to be 31 points (range 0-54) with the sensitivity/specificity and positive predictive value/negative predictive value of 61%/79%, and 81%/57%, respectively. Our VDDQ-J score is easy to answer by the wide range of subjects, and well predicts VDD. This risk score would be useful to identify subjects at risk for VDD both in clinical and epidemiological settings.

Fish consumption prior to pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, 1997-2011.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationships between maternal fish consumption and pregnancy outcomes in a large, population-based sample of women in the USA. DESIGN: We collected average fish consumption prior to pregnancy using a modified version of the semi-quantitative Willett FFQ. We estimated adjusted OR (aOR) and 95 % CI for associations between different levels of fish consumption and preterm birth (<37 weeks), early preterm birth (<32 and <35 weeks) and small-for-gestational-age infants (SGA; <10th percentile). SETTING: The National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS). SUBJECTS: Control mother-infant pairs with estimated delivery dates between 1997 and 2011 (n 10 919). RESULTS: No significant associations were observed between fish consumption and preterm birth or early preterm birth (aOR = 0·7-1·0 and 0·7-0·9, respectively). The odds of having an SGA infant were elevated (aOR = 2·1; 95 % CI 1·2, 3·4) among women with daily fish consumption compared with women consuming fish less than once per month. No associations were observed between other levels of fish consumption and SGA (aOR = 0·8-1·0). CONCLUSIONS: High intake of fish was associated with twofold higher odds of having an SGA infant, while moderate fish consumption prior to pregnancy was not associated with preterm or SGA. Our study, like many other studies in this area, lacked information regarding preparation methods and the specific types of fish consumed. Future studies should incorporate information on nutrient and contaminant contents, preparation methods and biomarkers to assess these relationships.

Estimating the Marginal Causal Effect of Fish Consumption during Adolescence on Multiple Sclerosis: A Population-Based Incident Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Adolescence is considered as a critical time period in multiple sclerosis (MS) etiology. Nonetheless, there are insufficient reports regarding the potential role of fresh and canned fish consumptions during adolescence in MS etiology. The authors investigated the association between fresh and canned fish consumptions and MS. METHODS: This was a population-based incident case-control study conducted in Tehran. Cases (n = 547) identified from Iranian Multiple Sclerosis Society between August 7, 2013, and November 17, 2015 were included in the study. Population-based controls (n = 1,057) were recruited by random digit telephone dialing without any matching. Inverse-probability-of-treatment weighing (IPTW) using 2 sets of propensity scores and model-based standardization were used to separately estimate the marginal odds ratio between fresh and canned fish consumptions in adolescence and MS. RESULTS: The marginal OR for fresh fish was 0.72 (95% CI 0.58-0.90; p = 0.005) in both IPTW analyses. Similarly, the marginal OR for canned fish consumption was 0.75 (95% CI 0.60-0.95; p = 0.014).The model-based standardized OR was 0.72 (95% CI 0.58-0.91; p = 0.008) for fresh and 0.73 (95% CI 0.59-0.94; p = 0.006) for canned fish consumption in adolescence. DISCUSSION: Subject to limitation of case-control studies in interpreting associations causally, this study suggests that both fresh and canned fish consumptions in adolescence can decrease the risk of MS.

Association of oily fish intake, sex, age, BMI and APOE genotype with plasma long-chain n-3 fatty acid composition.

n-3 Fatty acids are associated with better cardiovascular and cognitive health. However, the concentration of EPA, DPA and DHA in different plasma lipid pools differs and factors influencing this heterogeneity are poorly understood. Our aim was to evaluate the association of oily fish intake, sex, age, BMI and APOE genotype with concentrations of EPA, DPA and DHA in plasma phosphatidylcholine (PC), NEFA, cholesteryl esters (CE) and TAG. Healthy adults (148 male, 158 female, age 20-71 years) were recruited according to APOE genotype, sex and age. The fatty acid composition was determined by GC. Oily fish intake was positively associated with EPA in PC, CE and TAG, DPA in TAG, and DHA in all fractions (P≤0·008). There was a positive association between age and EPA in PC, CE and TAG, DPA in NEFA and CE, and DHA in PC and CE (P≤0·034). DPA was higher in TAG in males than females (P<0·001). There was a positive association between BMI and DPA and DHA in TAG (P<0·006 and 0·02, respectively). APOE genotype×sex interactions were observed: the APOE4 allele associated with higher EPA in males (P=0·002), and there was also evidence for higher DPA and DHA (P≤0·032). In conclusion, EPA, DPA and DHA in plasma lipids are associated with oily fish intake, sex, age, BMI and APOE genotype. Such insights may be used to better understand the link between plasma fatty acid profiles and dietary exposure and may influence intake recommendations across population subgroups.