Effects of moderate freshwater fish diet on lipid metabolism of Finnish students

Abstract

The effect of moderate freshwater fish intake on the lipid metabolism was studied in healthy students using a public catering system. In the first trial, male students ate an average of 3.7 fish meals per week (about 1 g of n-3 fatty acids daily) for 15 weeks. The n-3 fatty acids increased in the erythrocyte and platelet membranes at the expense of n-6 fatty acids. Serum triglyceride, apolipoprotein A1 and B levels and platelet thromboxane B2 production decreased. In the dose response study, four groups had been eating fish for 12 weeks. Similar findings were made with the highest dose as in the previous study. In addition, new measurements showed a decrease in the platelet and erythrocyte aggregability. With two lower doses (1.5 and 2.3 diet meals eaten per week), only a tendency to decreased triglyceride level and aggregability was noticed. The results obtained show that already moderate freshwater fish intake modifies, in a long-term, lipid metabolism, supporting the hypothesis of protective effect against cardiovascular diseases.