ABSTRACT
Fish and seafood have long been a major source of protein for Mediterranean people, especially in the coastal regions. An investigation into the association between fish and seafood consumption and onset of type 2 diabetes found an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in participants eating shellfish once or more a week. An ecological study involving 41 countries on five continents examined fish/seafood consumption, obesity, and risk of type 2 diabetes in two different age groups: 22to 44-year-old men and women and 45to 64-year-old men and women. Positive association was found in both age groups between obesity and type 2 diabetes, as well as an interaction effect identified among all three factors: obesity, type 2 diabetes, and total fish/seafood consumption. Fish and seafood in traditional Mediterranean diets were rarely, if ever, breaded and deep fried or served with a large amount of sauce high in calories, saturated fat, and sodium, as they often are in the United States.
