Is the nutritional benefit of eating fish and seafood greater than the health harm of such a diet? A study published in 2011 sheds light on the nutritional benefits of seafood and fish. While past studies have shown that fish and seafood-based foods may improve sugar metabolism, other studies suggest that fish contamination may contribute to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. However, studies have not yet been conducted in large populations where eating foods of origin at sea is common.
Therefore, the researchers examined the diets of 22,291 men and 29,759 women aged 45 to 75 who participated in the Public Health Survey in Japan and who had no previous medical history of diabetes. The researchers examined dietary habits using questionnaires.
During the five years of studies in the 1990s, 971 new cases of diabetes were discovered – 572 of them in men and 399 in women.
However, among men, fish and seafood consumption was found to be significantly associated with a reduced risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The risk of people who consumed seafood such as fish and seafood in their diet, at the maximum level, had a 27% reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Among men who consumed small or medium-sized daily foods such as sardines, mackerel, or eels, the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes was even lower and decreased by 32% compared to those who consumed these seafood and fish at the minimum level.
The researchers examined the level of fat found in the different seafood in order to examine whether the relationship was mediated by the amount of fat, and found that no differences were found between the fish and seafood of the different sizes in fat levels, which could explain the difference.
The findings of the study were published by Japanese researchers in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
