Differences in some haemostatic variables between fisheating and non-fish-eating populations

The rare incidence of coronary artery disease in Eskimos has been ascribed to their diet of marine fish rich in n-3 fatty acids, which have an antithrombotic influence on haemostasis. In order to test this hypothesis, a crosssectional study was conducted on 1000 healthy individuals chosen randomly from coastal and inland villages in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. A total of 500 fish-eating and 500 non-fish-eating age- and sex-matched subjects were selected based on fish-eating habits for parameters related to haemostasis. Mean cutaneous bleeding time and clotting time were decreased with advancing age in men and women of both populations.Women had more prolonged bleeding and clotting times than did men in both population groups. The platelet count was significantly lower in the fish-eating population. The mean bleeding time was observed to be prolonged significantly in men and women of the fish-eating population than that of the non-fish-eating population. However, the clotting time in the fish-eating population was significantly longer in certain age groups than in non-fish-eating population. The results indicate that fish consumption influences haemostatic function relative to a non-fish-eating population.