Eating Extra Servings Of Fish Linked To Reduced Stroke Risk

Sept. 26, 2011 - PRLog -- Adults who eat fish several times each week are slightly less likely to suffer a stroke.  The findings of a new study report the lowered risk compared to those who only eat a little or no fish at all.

Researchers analyzed over a dozen studies.  Each study asked people how frequently they ate fish, then followed them for between four and 30 years to see who suffered a stroke.

Fatty fish such as salmon and herring are especially high in omega-3s. The American Heart Association recommends at least two servings of fatty fish in particular each week.

Some 600,000 Americans will suffer their first stroke this year according to annual data published by the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.  "Stroke impacts the health of millions and results in both medical and long term care expenses," explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the national trade groups.

Fish provides a beneficial package of nutrients, in particular the omega-3s, that explains the lower risk explains a Harvard School of Public Health epidemiologist whose research was included in the analysis.

Smoking, drinking, being overweight and having high blood pressure and cholesterol are all linked to a higher risk of stroke.  Dr. Susanna Larsson and Dr. Nicola Orsini of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden wrote in the journal Stroke that omega-3 fatty acids in fish might lower stroke risk through their positive effects on blood pressure and cholesterol.

Vitamin D, selenium and certain types of proteins in fish may also have stroke-related benefits, the researchers added.  Data for the analysis came from close to 400,000 people age 30 to 103. The studies were done in the U.S., Europe, Japan and China.

Eating three extra servings of fish each week was linked to a six-percent drop in stroke risk, Slome noted after reviewing the study.  That translates to one fewer stroke among a hundred people eating extra fish over a lifetime.  And the people in each study who ate the most fish were 12 percent less likely to have a stroke that those that ate the least.

Fatty fish such as salmon and herring are especially high in omega-3s. The American Heart Association recommends at least two servings of fatty fish in particular each week.

Individuals interested in receiving a cost quote for critical illness insurance from a designated American Association for Critical Illness Insurance professional can complete the organization's free quote request
form accessible at http://www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org/free-quote/ or by calling the Association's offices.

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The American Association for Critical Illness Insurance http://www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org is a national trade organization. Get info and costs at their Consumer Information Center: http://www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org/learning-center/