Oral Presentation 49th Nutrition Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2025

Higher fish consumption is associated with lower symptoms of depression in Australian adults with multiple sclerosis (129790)

Hajar Mazahery 1 2 , Yun Zhao 1 , Eleanor Dunlop 1 2 , Bruce V Taylor 3 , Alice M Saul 3 , Gavin F Pereira 1 4 , Ausimmune/AusLong Investigator Group 5 , Lucinda J Black 1 2
  1. School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  2. Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  3. Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
  4. enAble Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  5. Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Murdoch University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Fish, particularly oily fish, is a rich source of nutrients with anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties and its consumption has been associated with lower risk of chronic diseases. (1) Higher fish consumption has been associated with lower risk of multiple sclerosis (MS); (2) however, evidence regarding its association with patient-reported outcome measures (anxiety, depression, and fatigue) in people with MS is limited. We used data from the AusLong Study, a longitudinal cohort of people with MS. Patient-reported outcome measures were assessed at 5, 10, and 15-year follow-ups. Anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; fatigue was assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale. Higher scores indicate higher levels of anxiety, depression or fatigue symptoms. Fish consumption (tinned, grilled, fried, and total: sum of tinned, grilled, fried fish; g/day) was derived from dietary intake data collected using a food frequency questionnaire at 5, 10 and 15-year follow-ups. Diet quality was assessed using the alternate Mediterranean diet score (aMED), excluding the fish component. Higher adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern associates with a higher diet quality. (3) All three patient-reported outcome measures were not normally distributed and were Box-Cox transformed. Multivariable mixed-effect generalized linear models, adjusted for relevant covariates, were used to test associations between fish consumption (per 30 g/day, equivalent to approximately two servings of fish per week) and Box-Cox transformed patient-reported outcome measures. Analyses were adjusted for sex, age, study region, follow-up time point, smoking, disease-modifying medication use, education (depression only), employment status (anxiety and fatigue only), total energy intake, and diet quality (aMED excluding fish). Results were Box-Cox back transformed for reporting purposes. Most participants were female (95/119) with the median age of 54 years (IQR=12.86) at the 15-year follow-up. The results revealed that higher consumption of total fish (Box-Cox transformed β coefficient = -0.19, back transformed β coefficient = 0.72, 95% CI 0.56, 0.90) and tinned fish (Box-Cox transformed β coefficient = -0.34, back transformed β coefficient = 0.59, 95% CI 0.36, 0.86) were significantly associated with lower depression score. No association was found between fish consumption (total, tinned, grilled, fried) and symptoms of anxiety or fatigue. Our result that higher fish consumption was associated with lower symptoms of depression in people with MS supports findings of other studies showing that higher fish consumption associates with lower risk of depression in healthy populations. (4) In our study, fish consumption was associated with lower symptoms of depression in people with MS, and the association was independent of diet quality. Following a diet in line with national guidelines to include at least two servings of fish (particularly oily fish) per week could be beneficial for people with MS.

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