Eating fish twice a week may help prevent multiple sclerosis

Higher consumption of fish appears to lower the risk of first clinical diagnosis of central nervous system demyelination (FCD), a common precursor to multiple sclerosis (MS), reveals a study.

Tinned fish is mostly oily, while grilled and fried fish are likely to be oily and white types. Oily fish is rich in vitamin D and very long chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, which are both helpful in preventing MS, according to the investigators.

The Ausimmune Study, a case-control study that examined environmental risk factors for FCD from 2003 to 2006, recruited participants from four regions of Australia and matched them based on age, sex and study region. A food frequency questionnaire was used to collect data on dietary intake.

The investigators used conditional logistic regression models to examine the association between fish (total, tinned, grilled and fried) and risk of FCD (249 cases and 438 controls), adjusting for history of infectious mononucleosis, smoking, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, socioeconomic status, omega-3 supplement use, dietary under-reporting and total energy intake.

Higher total fish consumption (per 30 g/day, equivalent to two serves/week) resulted in an 18-percent reduction in the risk of FCD (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.82, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.70–0.97). No statistically significant associations were observed between consumptions of grilled or fried fish and risk of FCD, but higher tinned fish consumption (per 30 g/day) led to a 41-percent reduction in FCD risk (aOR, 0.59, 95 percent CI, 0.39–0.89).