A population-based, cross-sectional study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2008; 52(6):417–424) compared cardiovascular health in three groups of men aged 40–49 years:
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281 Japanese men born and living in Japan
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281 men of Japanese ancestry living in the United States
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306 Caucasian men living in the United States
The native-born Japanese men had the lowest levels of atherosclerosis. In contrast, Japanese Americans and Caucasian Americans had nearly identical levels of atherosclerosis, effectively ruling out genetics as the primary explanation for the difference in cardiovascular risk.
Dietary intake provided a key distinction. The native-born Japanese men consumed approximately twice as much omega-3 fatty acids from fish as the two U.S. groups. The findings suggest that diet—particularly higher omega-3 intake—plays a major role in protecting against atherosclerosis, independent of genetic background.
