Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics According to Fish Consumption*
|
Tuna/Other Fish |
Fried Fish/Fish Sandwich |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | <1 Time/mo (n = 502) | 1–3 Times/mo (n = 1123) | 1–4 Times/wk (n = 2226) | ≥5 Times/wk (n = 927) | PValue† | <1 Time/mo (n = 2302) | 1–3 Times/mo (n = 1542) | ≥1 Times/wk (n = 934) | PValue† |
| Tuna/other fish intake, servings per week | 0.1 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 5.7 | <.001 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 3.1 | <.001 |
| Fried fish/fish sandwich intake, servings per week | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.0 | <.01 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 2.7 | <.001 |
| Age, y | 74.2 | 73.2 | 72.5 | 71.8 | <.001 | 72.8 | 72.4 | 72.9 | NS |
| Male sex, % | 46 | 46 | 42 | 34 | <.001 | 37 | 45 | 50 | <.001 |
| White race, % | 93 | 95 | 95 | 95 | NS | 96 | 95 | 92 | <.001 |
| Education ≥ high school diploma, % | 51 | 68 | 76 | 82 | <.001 | 79 | 69 | 62 | <.001 |
| Diabetes, % | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | NS | 21 | 22 | 25 | <.05 |
| Coronary heart disease, % | 17 | 18 | 18 | 20 | NS | 18 | 18 | 21 | <.01 |
| Current smoker, % | 15 | 14 | 10 | 10 | <.001 | 12 | 11 | 11 | NS |
| Smoking, pack-years | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | <.01 | 17 | 18 | 19 | NS |
| Treated hypertension, % | 45 | 45 | 43 | 44 | NS | 43 | 44 | 45 | NS |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 139 | 139 | 139 | 137 | NS | 138 | 139 | 140 | <.001 |
| BMI | 26.1 | 26.4 | 26.4 | 26.7 | NS | 26.1 | 26.6 | 26.8 | <.001 |
| Leisure time activity, kcal/wk | 1608 | 1816 | 1904 | 1858 | NS | 1791 | 1883 | 1909 | NS |
| Internal carotid IMT, mm | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | NS | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | <.01 |
| Atrial fibrillation, % | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | NS | 6 | 5 | 6 | NS |
| Daily aspirin use, % | 17 | 20 | 19 | 21 | NS | 19 | 18 | 23 | NS |
| LDL-C, mg/dL | 126 | 126 | 131 | 135 | <.001 | 130 | 130 | 131 | NS |
| HDL-C, mg/dL | 52 | 53 | 55 | 55 | <.001 | 56 | 53 | 52 | <.001 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL | 143 | 142 | 139 | 144 | NS | 139 | 143 | 146 | <.05 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/L | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 2.9 | <.001 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.7 | <.01 |
| Caloric intake, kcal/d | 1613 | 1614 | 1852 | 2118 | <.001 | 1616 | 1852 | 2282 | <.001 |
| Saturated fat, % calories | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | <.001 | 11 | 12 | 13 | <.001 |
| Alcohol, drinks/wk | 1.6 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 2.8 | <.05 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.3 | NS |
| Beef or pork, servings/d | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.8 | NS | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.2 | <.001 |
| Fruits, servings/d | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.5 | <.001 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | NS |
| Vegetables, servings/d | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 3.3 | <.001 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.7 | <.001 |
| EPA + DHA, % phospholipids‡ | 2.6 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 4.7 | <.001 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.6 | NS |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters); DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; IMT, intimal medial thickness; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; NS, nonsignificant (P≥.05).
SI conversion factors: To convert cholesterol to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0259; to convert triglycerides to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0113.
Values are mean (continuous variables) or frequency (categorical variables).
P value across categories of intake, after adjustment for age.
Among 64 participants with baseline plasma phospholipids EPA and DHA measurements.