Fish diet in the Danube Delta population – health benefits in Sulina’s patients

Abstract

According to literature data, the normal values of biochemical parameters in blood vary by sex, age, geographical region and type of diet. The aim of this study was to analyze the benefits of a fish-based diet among the population of Sulina Town, in the Danube Delta. The batch of patients underwent a set of biochemical tests in the RoutineMed Laboratory of Sulina. The novelty of the research is represented by the geographic area covered, as the Danube Delta had no medical analysis laboratory until 2010, when RoutineMed Laboratory was opened in Sulina. Blood samples were collected from 260 patients (of 3663 residents) for the evaluation of the serum markers and amino acid metabolism: creatinine, urea, uric acid. Both women and men were involved in the research and patients were grouped into age ranges: 20-40 years, 40-60 years, > 60 years. The study included 260 patients, of which 90 men (34.6%) and 170 women (65.4%), who declared they eat fish or fish-based products at least once a week. The values obtained were statistically analyzed using the SPSS v. 20 software and then compared to the ranges considered normal for these parameters. The results obtained showed that patients with a fish-based diet seem to be healthier than those with a diet in which fish meat is scarce, as their blood biochemical parameters values are closer to normal, which leads to the conclusion that including fish and fish products in people’s regular diet is beneficial.