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Meta-Analysis
. 2017 Jan 11;16(1):1.
doi: 10.1186/s12937-016-0223-4.

Fish intake and the risk of brain tumor: a meta-analysis with systematic review

Wei Lian  1 , Renzhi Wang  2 , Bing Xing  2 , Yong Yao  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Fish intake and the risk of brain tumor: a meta-analysis with systematic review

Wei Lian et al. Nutr J. .

Abstract

Background: Fish, rich in ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, has been found to be associated with lower risk of several types of cancer risk, and beneficial for brain development. However, the association between fish intake and brain tumor risk is still inconsistent. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to clarify the association.

Methods: Relevant studies were identified from PubMed and EMBASE databases. The pooled relative risks were obtained by the fixed-effects model when no substantial heterogeneity was observed. Otherwise, the random-effects model was employed. Subgroup and publication bias analyses were also performed.

Results: Nine observational studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled relative risk of brain cancer for the highest vs. lowest category of fish intake was 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.70-0.99). No significant heterogeneity was detected. Dose-response analysis showed that the RR per 100 g/day increase in fish intake was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91-0.98). The results remained unchanged in subgroup and sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions: The results of our meta-analysis suggest that fish intake might be associated with lower risk of brain cancer risk. The finding should be further confirmed by future cohort studies with validated questionnaires and strict control of confounders.

Keywords: Brain tumor; Fish intake; Meta-analysis; Nutrition; Risk factors.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of literature search in the meta-analysis
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot of fish intake and brain tumor risk for high versus low consumption. RR, relative risk; CI, confidence interval
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Forest plot of fish intake and brain tumor risk per 100 g/week increase. RR, relative risk; CI, confidence interval
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Dose-response analysis for fish intake and brain tumor risk. The P value for non-linear test was 0.85, and a linear model was used. Black solidline represents the trend between fish intake and brain tumor risk, and short dashed lines represent the 95% confidence intervals
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Funnel plot for all studies included in the meta-analysis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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