Abstract
Habitual fish consumption is associated with numerous health benefits; however, in Australia fish intake remains low. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of specific or general fish consumption recommendations on fish intake behavior over the duration of a 12-month clinical trial. Participants were randomized into a control group (general dietary advice), and two intervention groups (received dietetic advice to consume 180 g fish/wk), with one intervention group receiving LC omega-3 PUFA supplements. Dietary data was available for n = 117 at baseline, n = 85 at 3 months and n = 63 at 12 months. Total, fatty and lean fish intake (g/day) was calculated, and the change in fish intake between and within groups over the duration of the study was measured. Total fish consumption did not differ significantly between groups or within groups, however fatty fish intake was significantly greater in the intervention groups at three months (p = 0.004). The proportion of study participants complying with fish intake recommendations was also highest at the three month time point for both intervention groups. Overall, compliance to fish intake recommendations was highest at the three month time point and appeared to be influenced by dietetic intervention. Provision of fish may increase compliance in future studies, however if research is to be translated to practice, behavioral approaches are required to increase fish intake in the long term.
Highlights
Observational evidence has provided support for the health benefits of habitual fish consumption on a range of cardiovascular disease outcomes, including reduced incidence of stroke [1,2,3] and heart failure [4], and reduced mortality from ischemic heart disease [5,6] and sudden cardiac events [7,8]
A 12-month dietary trial examining the effect of LC omega-3 PUFA on weight loss, which utilizes specific and general fish consumption advice, provides a vehicle to investigate the differential effects of such advice on fish consumption and the adherence to the advice over the duration of the study
Fish is a rich source of many nutrients and habitual consumption is known to be associated with a number of health benefits
Summary
Observational evidence has provided support for the health benefits of habitual fish consumption on a range of cardiovascular disease outcomes, including reduced incidence of stroke [1,2,3] and heart failure [4], and reduced mortality from ischemic heart disease [5,6] and sudden cardiac events [7,8]. As with many health organizations around the world, the Heart Foundation recommends Australians consume two to three serves of fish per week [10], survey data suggests on average Australian adults are not meeting this recommendation [11]. This suggests that whilst the efficacy of fish consumption is well proven, the effectiveness of such recommendations is problematic in the free-living setting. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of general dietary advice on fish intake compared to advice emphasizing targets for fish consumption over the duration of a 12-month dietary trial
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