Arterial pressures in fish-consuming and non-fish-consuming populations of coastal south India

It has been suggested that fish-consuming populations have lower blood pressure levels. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the mean blood pressure levels among fish-consuming populations with those among populations who do not consume fish, as a risk marker for cardiovascular disease. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1000 healthy Indian adult men and women (aged >=20 years) randomly chosen from two representative age and sex-matched samples, one of which was fish-consuming (n = 500) and the other of which was non-fish-consuming (n = 500). The systolic and diastolic blood pressures and pulse rates were studied. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures and pulse rates were found to be lower in older men and women who were fish consumers in comparison with those who were non-fish consumers, and the levels increased with advancing age. The population and sex differences were significant for certain age groups. The percentile cut-off values for diagnosis of systolic hypertension showed lower prevalence in fish consumers than in non-fish consumers. The results indicate that people who ate fish regularly appeared to have a better cardiovascular risk profile than did non-fish consumers, which is of public health significance. The relationship between fish consumption and blood pressure deserves further studies in normotensive and hypertensive populations.