The Inverse Relation between Fish Consumption and 20-Year Mortality from Coronary Heart Disease

TLDR

The low death rate from coronary heart disease among Greenland Eskimos has been attributed to their high fish consumption. We investigated the relationship between fish consumption and coronary heart disease in a Dutch cohort of middle‑aged men. Data on fish intake were obtained from 852 men in 1960 via detailed dietary histories from participants and spouses. An inverse dose–response relationship was found, with men eating at least 30 g of fish daily experiencing more than 50 % lower coronary heart disease mortality over 20 years, a finding that remained significant after multivariate adjustment. Published in N Engl J Med 1985; 312:1205–9.

Abstract

The low death rate from coronary heart disease among the Greenland Eskimos has been ascribed to their high fish consumption. We therefore decided to investigate the relation between fish consumption and coronary heart disease in a group of men in the town of Zutphen, the Netherlands. Information about the fish consumption of 852 middle-aged men without coronary heart disease was collected in 1960 by a careful dietary history obtained from the participants and their wives. During 20 years of follow-up 78 men died from coronary heart disease. An inverse dose–response relation was observed between fish consumption in 1960 and death from coronary heart disease during 20 years of follow-up. This relation persisted after multiple logistic-regression analyses. Mortality from coronary heart disease was more than 50 per cent lower among those who consumed at least 30 g of fish per day than among those who did not eat fish. We conclude that the consumption of as little as one or two fish dishes per week may be of preventive value in relation to coronary heart disease. (N Engl J Med 1985; 312:1205–9.)