Fish consumption and its possible preventive role on the development and prevalence of metabolic syndrome - a systematic review

• Published in: Endocrine Regulations
• Main Authors: Tørris, Christine, Molin, Marianne, Småstuen, Milada Cvancarova
• Other Authors: Department of Nephrology, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences Oslo (HiOA), Department of Infectious Diseases Oslo, Institute of Clinical Medicine Oslo, Faculty of Medicine Oslo, University of Oslo (UiO)-University of Oslo (UiO)-Faculty of Medicine Oslo, University of Oslo (UiO)-University of Oslo (UiO)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2014
• Subjects: Metabolic syndrome; Insulin resistance; Diet; Fish intake; Seafood; Consumption of fish; Systematic review; [SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie; [SDV.MHEP.EM]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Endocrinology and metabolism; Iceland
• Online Access: https://inserm.hal.science/inserm-01218447; https://inserm.hal.science/inserm-01218447/document; https://inserm.hal.science/inserm-01218447/file/1758-5996-6-112.pdf; https://doi.org/10.4149/endo_2013_03_111

International audience Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has a huge impact on public health, and today lifestyle interventions remain the primary mode for MetS therapy. It is therefore important to elucidate the possible preventive effects of diet and foods, and their MetS-related health implications. To examine how fish consumption affects the development and prevalence of MetS, we systematically reviewed cross-sectional, prospective cohort, and intervention studies conducted among adults (humans) and, reporting consumption of fish or seafood as being related to MetS (prevalence or incidence), where MetS was defined via an established definition. The literature search in PubMed identified 502 citations, and after screening, 49 full-text articles were retrieved and assessed for eligibility. After excluding duplicates and those not meeting the inclusion criteria, seven studies from Croatia, Finland, France, Iceland, Iran, Korea, and US were included. Four studies (one follow-up and three cross-sectional) found associations between fish consumption and MetS (three among men, and one among women), suggesting that fish consumption may prevent or improve metabolic health and have a protective role in MetS prevention. This protective role might be related to gender, and men may benefit more from the consumption of fish. However, lack of controlling for potential confounders may also inflict the results. Additional research is required to further explore fish consumption and its potential role in improving or reversing MetS and its components.