A diet rich in oily fish, which contains omega 3 fatty acids,
may be why middle-aged men in Japan have fewer problems with clogged
arteries than white men and men of Japanese descent in the United
States, a study has found.
The research, published in the Journal of the American College of
Cardiology, found that Japanese men living in Japan had twice the blood
levels of omega-3 fatty acids and lower levels of atherosclerosis
compared to middle-aged white men or Japanese-American men living in the
United States,
Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaque inside the arteries. Over time,
they harden and narrow the arteries and can lead to serious problems
like heart attacks and stroke.
"The death rate from coronary heart disease in Japan has always been
puzzlingly low," said Akira Sekikawa, assistant professor of
epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, in a statement.
"Our study suggests that the very low rates of coronary heart disease
among Japanese living in Japan may be due to their lifelong high
consumption of fish."
Japanese eat about 3 ounces (85 grams) of fish a day on average, while
Americans eat fish perhaps twice a week. Nutritional studies show that
intake of omega-3 fatty acids from fish averages 1.3 grams per day in
Japan, compared to 0.2 grams per day in the United States.
Earlier studies by Sekikawa's team showed that Japanese men had
significantly less cholesterol build-up in their arteries despite
similar blood cholesterol and blood pressure readings, similar rates of
diabetes and much higher rates of smoking.
But it was unclear whether Japanese men were protected by strong genes,
a high-fish diet or some other factor.
In this study, Sekikawa's team recruited 868 randomly selected men aged
40 to 49. Of these, 281 were Japanese from Kusatsu in Japan, 306 were
white men from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and 281 were third or
fourth generation Japanese-Americans from Honolulu, Hawaii.
"Our study clearly demonstrated that whites and Japanese-Americans have
similar levels of atherosclerosis, which are much higher than in the
Japanese in Japan," Sekikawa said.
"This indicates that much lower death rates from coronary heart disease
in the Japanese in Japan is very unlikely due to genetic factors."
