M. Anttolainen et al., EFFECT OF EXTREME FISH CONSUMPTION ON DIETARY AND PLASMA ANTIOXIDANT LEVELS AND FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION, European journal of clinical nutrition, 50(11), 1996, pp. 741-746
Objective: To assess the effects of high-fish and low-fish diets on pl
asma concentrations of fatty acids and selected antioxidants. Design a
nd subjects: The effects of fish consumption on dietary and plasma ant
ioxidant levels and fatty acid composition were studied as part of a l
arge dietary survey of Finnish adults (n = 1861). High-fish consumers
were matched with low-fish consumers and 41 pairs were identified. The
members of each pair were of the same sex, from the same 10 y age gro
up, and from the same or adjacent areas. There were 21 men and 20 wome
n in each group, with a mean age of 54.3 y. Methods: The fish consumpt
ion of the subjects was investigated with a qualitative food questionn
aire. Additionally, a 3 d food record was used to estimate the diet, T
wo indices were defined to describe the oxidation potential of the die
ts. The plasma alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, and beta-carotene c
oncentrations and various fatty acids were analysed. Results: The mean
fish intake was 103 g/d in the high-fish and 5 g/d in the low-fish gr
oup. The dietary intakes of vitamin C, protein, total n - 3 polyunsatu
rated fatty acids (PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid,
mercury, selenium, and salt and the theoretical oxidative potential w
ere higher (P < 0.05) and the saturated fatty acid intake lower (P < 0
.01) in the high-fish than in the low-fish group. The dietary vitamin
E intake was similar in both groups but the ratio of dietary vitamin E
/PUFA was higher (P < 0.01) in the high-fish than in the low-fish grou
p (0.85 and 0.75, respectively). The plasma n - 3 PUFAs were higher (P
< 0.001) and n - 6 PUFAs lower (P < 0.001) in the high-fish than in t
he low-fish group. There were no differences in plasma antioxidant lev
els between the groups. Conclusion: This study shows that extreme fish
consumption does not affect plasma antioxidant levels.