Present studies on the association of fish consumption with risk of stroke have shown controversial results, and this association within the Chinese population remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the association between fish consumption and incidence of total stroke, ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke among adults in China. We analyzed the data of 57,701 adults aged 20-74 years, with no history of stroke, in a prospective cohort study in Shanghai. Fish consumption was calculated from a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and divided into four categories (less than 300, 300-450, 450-600 and more than 600 g/week). Participant information was linked to health information systems in which stroke event information was collected up until 31 December 2021. The hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the associations of fish consumption with risk of total stroke, ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke were estimated using cox proportional hazards regression models. Dose-response relationships were estimated using restricted cubic spline analyses. During a median follow-up of 4.56 years, 807 newly developed stroke events were ascertained, including 664 ischemic stroke events and 113 hemorrhagic stroke events. Fish consumption of 300-450 g/week was associated with a reduced risk of total stroke (HR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.64-0.94) and ischemic stroke (0.70 (0.57-0.88)) compared with fish consumption of less than 300 g/week, after adjustment for comprehensive covariates including sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, dietary patterns and disease histories. No significant association was found between fish consumption and hemorrhagic stroke. The findings of our study support the consumption level of fish recommended in the dietary guidelines.
Keywords: fish consumption; prospective cohort study; stroke.