Table 3.
Baseline characteristics (1994/1995) for continuous variables by frequency of weekly fish consumption mean (SD).
| n 1 | Never | Less than Once | Once | 2–3 or More | p 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatty fish | ||||||
| Age (years) | 19,822 | 38.7 (10.7) | 42.3 (11.0) | 46.5 (11.3) | 50.1 (11.3) | <0.0001 |
| BMI | 19,798 | 24.6 (4.0) | 24.8 (3.7) | 25.3 (3.8) | 25.7 (3.8) | <0.0001 |
| WC (cm) | 4361 | 89.1 (12.8) | 88.9 (11.2) | 89.8 (11.1) | 91.8 (11.7) | <0.0001 |
| TG (mmol/L) | 19,785 | 1.53 (1.06) | 1.49 (1.00) | 1.53 (1.07) | 1.57 (1.02) | 0.007 |
| HDL-C (mmol/L) | 19,767 | 1.46 (0.39) | 1.49 (0.39) | 1.52 (0.42) | 1.52 (0.42) | <0.0001 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 19,806 | 132.0 (16.4) | 133.8 (17.0) | 136.5 (18.5) | 138.9 (19.4) | <0.0001 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 19,806 | 77.4 (12.0) | 78.6 (12.3) | 80.4 (13.0) | 82.1 (13.6) | <0.0001 |
| Glucose (mmol/L) 4 | 5137 | 4.9 (1.4) | 4.8 (1.1) | 4.9 (1.4) | 4.9 (1.2) | 0.01 |
| Energy (MJ/day) | 16,660 | 7.35 (2.17) | 7.87 (2.16) | 8.21 (2.22) | 8.67 (2.35) | <0.0001 |
| Fibre (g/day) | 16,660 | 18.9 (6.9) | 21.3 (7.1) | 22.7 (7.0) | 23.0 (7.3) | <0.0001 |
| Protein (g/day) | 16,660 | 68.1 (20.1) | 76.0 (20.0) | 82.1 (20.8) | 95.4 (23.8) | <0.0001 |
| Total fat (g/day) | 16,660 | 63.2 (24.7) | 66.0 (23.1) | 67.8 (23.2) | 74.2 (25.9) | <0.0001 |
| n-3 FA(g/day) | 16,660 | 0.32 (0.46) | 0.65 (0.49) | 1.00 (0.62) | 1.83 (0.88) | <0.0001 |
| Saturated fat (g/day) | 16,660 | 27.4 (11.2) | 27.8 (10.2) | 27.9 (10.2) | 29.0 (11.0) | 0.001 |
| Alcohol (g/day) 3 | 16,660 | 3.0 (4.2) | 3.2 (4.2) | 3.5 (4.6) | 3.6 (5.2) | <0.0001 |
| Lean fish | ||||||
| Age (year) | 20,806 | 36.2 (10.0) | 39.3 (10.2) | 43.5 (10.9) | 49.8 (12.2) | <0.0001 |
| BMI | 20,778 | 24.5 (3.9) | 24.8 (3.7) | 24.9 (3.7) | 25.5 (3.9) | <0.0001 |
| WC (cm) | 4787 | 86.9 (13.9) | 89.2 (11.9) | 88.9 (11.3) | 90.5 (11.2) | <0.0001 |
| TG (mmol/L) | 20,763 | 1.58 (1.04) | 1.52 (1.05) | 1.50 (1.01) | 1.54 (1.05) | 0.01 |
| HDL-C (mmol/L) | 20,743 | 1.43 (0.41) | 1.46 (0.38) | 1.50 (0.41) | 1.52 (0.41) | <0.0001 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 20,790 | 131.5 (14.9) | 132.7 (16.5) | 134.0 (17.2) | 138.2 (19.9) | <0.0001 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 20,790 | 76.8 (11.0) | 77.6 (12.0) | 78.8 (12.5) | 81.6 (13.3) | <0.0001 |
| Glucose (mmol/L) 4 | 5590 | 5.1 (2.6) | 4.7 (0.9) | 4.8 (1.3) | 4.9 (4.9) | 0.007 |
| Energy (MJ/day) | 16,903 | 7.4 (2.3) | 7.6 (2.2) | 7.9 (2.2) | 8.4 (2.3) | <0.0001 |
| Fibre (g/day) | 16,903 | 17.2 (7.1) | 18.9 (6.7) | 21.6 (6.9) | 23.7 (7.1) | <0.0001 |
| Protein (g/day) | 16,903 | 67.0 (22.2) | 71.3 (20.1) | 76.5 (19.8) | 86.4 (21.6) | <0.0001 |
| Total fat (g/day) | 16,903 | 66.7 (26.2) | 66.8 (24.3) | 66.1 (22.9) | 67.2 (24.0) | 0.05 |
| n-3 FA(g/day) | 16,903 | 0.34 (0.51) | 0.62 (0.53) | 0.77 (0.60) | 0.96 (0.73) | <0.0001 |
| Saturated fat (g/day) | 16,903 | 29.1 (12.1) | 28.2 (10.7) | 27.6 (10.0) | 27.9 (10.4) | 0.001 |
| Alcohol (g/day) 3 | 16,903 | 3.8 (6.1) | 3.5 (4.6) | 3.4 (3.4) | 2.9 (2.9) | <0.0001 |
| Processed fish | ||||||
| Age (year) | 20,210 | 42.7 (11.9) | 45.0 (11.7) | 43.6 (11.3) | 42.1 (11.6) | <0.0001 |
| BMI | 20,183 | 25.0 (3.7) | 25.2 (3.8) | 24.9 (3.7) | 24.8 (3.8) | <0.0001 |
| WC (cm) | 4485 | 91.1 (11.6) | 90.0 (11.4) | 89.1 (11.2) | 89.0 (11.8) | 0.007 |
| TG (mmol/L) | 20,172 | 1.60 (1.09) | 1.55 (1.01) | 1.49 (1.03) | 1.48 (1.03) | <0.0001 |
| HDL-C (mmol/L) | 20,152 | 1.46 (0.43) | 1.49 (0.41) | 1.50 (0.40) | 1.50 (0.39) | 0.003 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 20,195 | 135.1 (17.0) | 135.7 (17.9) | 134.2 (17.6) | 133.7 (17.7) | <0.0001 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 20,195 | 79.6 (12.2) | 79.9 (12.7) | 78.9 (12.5) | 78.3 (12.7) | <0.0001 |
| Glucose (mmol/L) 4 | 5275 | 4.9 (2.1) | 4.8 (1.0) | 4.9 (1.2) | 4.9 (1.5) | 0.1 |
| Energy (MJ/day) | 16,814 | 7.63 (2.21) | 7.87 (2.25) | 7.97 (2.19) | 8.26 (2.19) | <0.0001 |
| Fibre (g/day) | 16,814 | 20.1 (7.46) | 21.3 (7.30) | 21.6 (7.05) | 21.9 (6.83) | <0.0001 |
| Protein (g/day) | 16,814 | 75.7 (22.7) | 77.4 (21.7) | 77.5 (20.6) | 82.0 (21.9) | <0.0001 |
| Total fat (g/day) | 16,814 | 63.5 (23.9) | 65.2 (24.1) | 66.9 (23.1) | 70.5 (23.6) | <0.0001 |
| n-3 FA(g/day) | 16,814 | 0.68 (0.72) | 0.79 (0.64) | 0.78 (0.62) | 0.81 (0.69) | <0.0001 |
| Saturated fat (g/day) | 16,814 | 27.1 (11.1) | 27.2 (10.7) | 27.9 (10.3) | 29.6 (10.3) | <0.0001 |
| Alcohol (g/day) 3 | 16,814 | 4.2 (5.8) | 3.5 (4.6) | 3.1 (4.2) | 2.8 (4.0) | <0.0001 |
1 n of total sample population (n = 23 907). Numbers of participants vary because of missing information variables; 2 p-value by analysis of variance (ANOVA) with fish consumption as categorical variable (never, <1, 1, 2–3 or more); 3 Alcohol intake (estimated from questionnaire) (g/day); 4 Blood samples are non-fasting. Abbreviations: BMI: Body Mass Index, WC: Waist circumference, HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, SBP: Systolic blood pressure, DBP: Diastolic blood pressure, FA: fatty acid. The Tromsø Study: Tromsø 4.