DRAFT Australian Dietary Guidelines - Eat For Health

2.4.2.3.1 Fish: Cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and excess weight
Cardiovascular disease: Evidence suggests that consuming at least two serves of fish per week is
associated with reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease (particularly myocardial infarction)
(Grade C, Section 9.1 in Evidence Report [14]) [302-305] and with reduced risk of mortality from
cardiovascular disease (Grade C, Section 9.1 in Evidence Report [14]) [302, 304, 306-313].
The evidence suggests that consumption of fish at least twice a week is associated with a reduced
risk of stroke (Grade C, Section 9.5 in Evidence Report [14]) [305, 314-316].
Only a small number of case-control and cohort studies are available, with inconsistent results, to
examine the relationship between fish consumption and the incidence of cardiac arrest, heart
failure, atrial fibrillation and high blood lipids.
2.4.2.3.2 Fish: Cancer
Evidence of an association between fish consumption and breast, colorectal, prostate and renal
cancer was examined however no conclusive associations could be drawn (Section 9.6, 9.7, 9.8 &
9.9 in Evidence Report).
2.4.2.3.3 Fish: Other conditions
Dementia: The recent body of evidence demonstrates that it is probable that the consumption of
fish more than once per week is associated with a reduced risk of developing dementia in older
adults (Grade B, Section 9.2 in Evidence Report [14]) [303, 317-324].
Depression: The recent evidence suggests that consumption of at least one serve of fish per week
is not associated with reduced risk of depression (Grade C, Section 9.3 in Evidence Report [14])
[325-329].
Macular degeneration: The recent evidence suggests that eating fish two or more times a week is
associated with reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration (Grade C, Section 9.4 in
Evidence Report [14]) [330].
2.4.2.4 Eggs
Since 2003 the evidence associating egg consumption with health outcomes has not changed
greatly (Section 11 in Evidence Report [14]). There do not appear to be any increased health risks
associated with consumption of eggs [331-333]. There is recent evidence which suggests that
consumption of eggs every day is not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease
(Grade C, Section 11.1 in Evidence Report [14]) [248, 334-351].
DRAFT Australian Dietary Guidelines- December 2011 55