In addition, a dash of low salt soy sauce or tofu to the fish reduces the risk of heart disease further.
The study’s lead researcher, Lixin Meng, a doctoral researcher in epidemiology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa stated, "It appears that boiling or baking fish with low-sodium soy sauce (shoyu) and tofu is beneficial, while eating fried, salted or dried fish is not.
"In fact, these methods of preparation may contribute to your risk. We did not directly compare boiled or baked fish vs. fried fish, but one can tell from the(risk) ratios, boiled or baked fish is in the protective direction but not fried fish."
A multiethnic cohort study conducted
The researchers followed 82,243 men and 103,884 women in Los Angeles County, California and Hawaii. The participants were a mix of blacks, whites, Hispanics, Japanese, and native Hawaiians aged 45 to 75 years with no history of cardiovascular problems.
The researchers examined the participants' intake of canned tuna, other canned fish, fish excluding shellfish, and soy products (soy, tofu and shoyu). They assessed their dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids which ranged between 3.3 grams to 0.8 grams daily.
They then analyzed the different methods of preparation, including raw, baked, boiled, fried, salted or dried. However, grilled fish was not included in the study.
Observations by the researchers
The researchers found that men who consumed 3.3 grams of omega-3 had a 23 percent lower risk of dying from cardiac attack as opposed to those who ate 0.8 grams daily.
"Clearly, we are seeing that the higher the dietary omega-3 intake, the lower the risk of dying from heart disease among men," Meng explained.
In women, the relation between the intake of omega-3 and protection against heart problems was not apparent, but consumption of salted and dried fish constituted a risk factor for them.
In addition, the researchers found that a dash of low-sodium soy or teriyaki sauce to a fishy meal was beneficial for men while soy intake was related to a healthy heart in women.
"My guess is that, for women, eating omega-3s from shoyu and tofu that contain other active ingredients such as phytoestrogens, might have a stronger cardioprotective effect than eating just omega-3s," said Meng.
Consumption of tofu helped to reduce heart disease risk in all ethnic groups.
According to Meng, "Our findings can help educate people on how much fish to eat and how to cook it to prevent heart disease.
"Alternately, if it is verified that the interactions between fish consumption, risk factors and ethnicity are due to genetic susceptibility, the heart-disease prevention message can be personalized to ethnic groups, and future study could identify susceptibility at the genetic level."
The findings were presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Florida.
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