The evidence has been accumulating for some years now - eating fish is good for you. Now, however, a study has uncovered a new and specific benefit of fish for people with diabetes.

 

When a person's kidneys are damaged, abnormal amounts of protein are found in the urine. In fact, high urine protein levels are one of the first signs of kidney disease. Kidney disease can be a complication of diabetes, and diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease.

 

Researchers in England recently did a study to see if there might be a connection between fish consumption and kidney disease in people with diabetes. The study, conducted over a four-year period, involved over 22,000 older adults, more than 500 of whom had diabetes. The researchers were especially interested in how much fish the subjects consumed. The subjects kept a food diary and filled out a questionnaire. Their urine proteim levels were measured at the beginning and the end of the study.

 

The researchers discovered that those who ate less than one serving of fish per week were four times likelier to have high urine protein levels than those who ate fish regularly. Fried fish, in the form of fish and chips, is espeically popular in England, and the scientists found it made no difference if the fish was fried or unfried. They also found no difference between cold-water and warm-water or oily and non-oily fish. According to the study, eating any kind of fish appears to have a protective effect on the kidneys of people with diabetes.

 

This doesn't necessarily mean that a steady diet of breaded fish sticks is ideal - they can have a lot of calories - and some people (especially your children and women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant) have to be careful about mercury of fish. But once again, a moderate increase in fish consumption does appear to be a good dietary move.

 

News & Notes column: written by - Joseph Gustaitis, freelance writer/editor

Diabetes Self-Management January/February 2010 edition

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