Fish consumption and its association with anemia and metabolic disorder among Indian adults

Abstract

While increasing seafood consumption may help address micronutrient deficiencies and metabolic disorders, evidence supporting this recommendation in the Indian context remains limited and inconclusive. Using the nationally representative cross-sectional 2019-2021 National Family Health Survey dataset, we investigated the association of fish consumption frequency with anemia and metabolic disorders (overweight/obesity, hypertension, and hyperglycemia) among adult men (aged 15-54 years) and women (aged 15-49 years) in India. A control function (CF) method was employed to examine the association in individuals who consumed fish daily and those who reported consuming fish daily/weekly. The analysis was restricted to conformed non-vegetarians (who reported ever consuming egg, fish, or meat). Overall, 86.9% of men and 74.7% of women were conformed non-vegetarian. CF analysis revealed that both daily and daily/weekly fish consumption were associated with a reduced risk of anemia among both men and women. Daily fish consumers exhibited increased likelihood of overweight/obesity (men: β: 0.405, 95%CI: 0.074, 0.735, p:0.017; women: β: 0.248, 95%CI 0.125, 0.370, p<0.001). Conversely, daily/weekly fish intake was associated with a reduced risk of overweight/obesity in men (β: -0.041, 95%CI: -0.069, -0.013; p:0.004). Daily/weekly fish consumption was associated with a reduced risk of hypertension and increased odds of hyperglycemia among men. Fish consumption demonstrated a potentially protective relationship against hypertension in women, regardless of how often they consumed fish, while also being associated with a higher prevalence of hyperglycemia. Indian adults can improve their health by eating more fish, which can help fight anemia and may also reduce overweight/obesity and high blood pressure.