Eating Fish Instead of Taking Aspirin May Reduce Stroke Risk

Eating Fish Instead of Taking Aspirin May Reduce StrokeRisk

BOSTON--A study appearing in the Jan. 17 issue of the Journalof the American Medical Association (JAMA) (285, (3):304-12, 2001) foundthat women who do not regularly use aspirin but consume high amounts of fish andomega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have a reduced risk for thromboticinfarction (blood clots leading to stroke).

In a prospective cohort study from the Nurses' Health Study, approximately80,000 women aged 34 to 59 in 1980 were followed for 14 years. All were free ofcardiovascular disease, cancer and had no histories of diabetes orhypercholesterolemia.

Women who consumed the most fish (five or more times per week) had asignificantly lower risk for strokes than those who ate less fish. Researchers,led by Hiroyasu Iso, M.D., Ph.D., at Harvard Medical School, concluded thatomega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish led to a reduced risk ofstroke, particularly for women who do not take aspirin (a blood-thinning agent)regularly. For additional information, visit http://jama.ama-assn.org.