Fresh fish on ice, representing dietary omega-3 sources

Moderate Fish Intake Linked to Lower Death Risk in Study

A study of 90,944 Japanese adults has found that moderate consumption of fish and shellfish was linked to a lower risk of death from any cause among women, and to a lower risk of death from cerebrovascular disease, which includes stroke, among both men and women. The research was published in the Journal of Nutrition on 4 August 2026 by scientists from Azabu University, the National Cancer Center Institute for Cancer Control and the University of Tsukuba, drawing on the long-running Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study. Participants completed a food-frequency questionnaire between 1995 and 1998 and were followed for an average of 20.8 years. Women in the group with the fourth-highest fish and shellfish intake, out of five bands, had an 8% lower risk of death from any cause than women who ate the least. Men who ate the most unsalted fish and shellfish had a 16% to 23% lower risk of death from cerebrovascular disease, depending on intake level.

What the study found and did not show

The association was strongest for women eating fish rich in omega-3 supplements, whose risk of all-cause and cerebrovascular death fell in a straight line as intake rose, the authors reported. Benefits for men were concentrated in unsalted fish and shellfish rather than the single highest intake band, suggesting more is not always better. The study is observational, so it cannot prove that fish consumption caused the lower death rates, only that the two were linked after adjusting for other factors. Dietary intake was recorded once, at the study's start in the mid-1990s, and may not reflect what participants ate in later life. The researchers did not report a funding source in the published abstract.

What this means for your supplement routine

This study measured whole fish and shellfish eaten as food, not fish oil or omega-3 capsules, and the authors did not test whether a supplement produces the same effect. Isolating a nutrient from a whole food and taking it in capsule form does not automatically carry over that food's benefits, which is one reason researchers are cautious about assuming a fish oil supplement replicates what a diet rich in oily fish appears to do here. Anyone comparing prices on the omega-3 and fish oil products already in their cupboard can do so in the omega and fish oils collection.

How Perqen members save

Perqen members pay £4.99 a month or £29.99 a year for member pricing across the full 1,393-product catalogue. Details of how membership pricing works are on the membership page.

This article reports published news and research and is for information only. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet or medical care, and no product mentioned is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Speak to your GP or pharmacist before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking prescribed medicines.

Sources

Originally reported by Journal of Nutrition. This article has been reviewed by Dr Tosin.

Related on Perqen

Back to blog