BOSTON -- Women with diabetes who eat more fish have healthier hearts, find Harvard University researchers.
A study of more than 5,000 women taking part in the Nurses' Health Study showed as much as a 64-percent drop in the risk of heart disease in women who ate fish five or more times a week when compared to those who ate fish less than once a month.
Studies conducted among healthy people have linked consumption of fish with lower risks of heart disease. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish have numerous benefits for the heart. Not only do they reduce the risk of irregular heartbeats, they also improve the function of blood vessels, decrease blood triglycerides, and minimize blood clots. Researchers have been unsure if this protection extends to people with diabetes, who are at high risk for heart disease.
Researchers divided women in the study into five groups depending on how much fish they said they ate each week on a dietary questionnaire. Results show a steady decline in heart disease risk as consumption of fish rose. Women who ate fish one to three times a month had a 30-percent reduced risk compared to those who ate fish less than once a month. Those who ate fish once a week had a 40-percent reduced risk, and those who ate fish two to four times a week had a 36-percent reduced risk.
Lead researcher Frank B. Hu, M.D., from the Harvard School of Public Health, concludes, "Regular fish consumption should be considered as part of a healthy diet for diabetes management. For individual patients, at least two servings of fish per week are recommended."
Source: Ivanhoe Newswire: To be published in an upcoming issue of Circulation.
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