Background: The intention of the study was to examine determinants of plasma fibrinogen concentrations in Japanese men.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1991 among 995 male employees aged 40-59 years in two urban companies.
Results: The overall mean value (standard deviation) of plasma fibrinogen concentration was 257 (57) mg/dl. There was a strong dose-response relationship between cigarette smoking and plasma fibrinogen concentration. Plasma fibrinogen was positively associated with age and serum total cholesterol, and inversely associated with ethanol intake, dietary intake of sea foods such as squid, octopus or shrimp. Intake of other major protein and lipid resources such as meat, eggs and milk, or intake of vegetables was not related to plasma fibrinogen. An effect of dietary intake of sea foods on plasma fibrinogen was small but significant after controlling for the other covariates; an 80 g/week larger intake of sea foods was associated with a 3.9 mg/dl (95% confidence interval: 0.5, 7.3) lower fibrinogen concentration.
Conclusions: This study confirms the relation of known coronary risk factors to plasma fibrinogen in Japanese men, and suggests that dietary intake of sea foods affects plasma fibrinogen concentrations.