Abstract
Current US federal dietary guidance recommends regular consumption of seafood (fish + shellfish) to promote health; however, little is known about how well Americans meet the guideline, particularly population subgroups that may be at risk for inadequate intake. The purposes of this study were to describe the prevalence of seafood consumption and, among consumers, the amounts of seafood eaten by sex, age group, income and education level, and race-ethnicity. Data from 15,407 adults aged 19+ participating in the 2005–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were analyzed using methods to account for sporadic intake of seafood. Over 80% of Americans reported consuming any seafood over the past 30 days, 74% reported consuming fish, and 54% reported eating shellfish. The percentages varied by socio-demographic group. Younger age and lower income and education levels were associated with lower odds of being a seafood consumer (p < 0.0001). Among those who reported eating seafood, the average amount eaten of any seafood was 158.2 ± 5.6 g/week. Among seafood consumers, women and individuals of lower age and education levels consumed less seafood. Approximately 80%–90% of seafood consumers did not meet seafood recommendations when needs were estimated by energy requirements. A great deal of work remains to move Americans toward seafood consumption at current recommended levels.
Highlights
Seafood is a nutrient-rich lean protein food and is a component of many healthy eating patterns [1,2,3,4]
While benefits are often ascribed to the long chain n-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish, a recent review that examined the association between either fish consumption or n-3 fatty acids and cerebrovascular disease concluded that the beneficial effects of fish consumption may be due in part to the contribution of other nutrients found in fish
These analyses used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), What We Eat in America (WWEIA) survey, the dietary assessment survey conducted in conjunction with NHANES
Summary
Seafood (fish + shellfish) is a nutrient-rich lean protein food and is a component of many healthy eating patterns [1,2,3,4]. Consumption of seafood, fish, is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease [5,6]. While benefits are often ascribed to the long chain n-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish, a recent review that examined the association between either fish consumption or n-3 fatty acids and cerebrovascular disease concluded that the beneficial effects of fish consumption may be due in part to the contribution of other nutrients found in fish. Seafood may replace other, less advantageous, protein foods in the diet [7]. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and US No further information as to type of seafood recommended is specified; the recommendation encourages consumption of sources with high n-3 fatty acid content
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