CHICAGO – Eating fish just once a month is enough to reduce the risk of strokes in men, according to a study of more than 43,000 health professionals.

While numerous studies have touted the cardiovascular benefits of eating fish several times a week, the new research found a similar benefit from just occasional meals of seafood.

Men who ate 3 to 5 ounces of fish one to three times a month were 43 percent less likely to have a stroke during 12 years of follow-up. Men who ate fish more often did not reduce their risk any further, suggesting that a small amount works just as well as a larger one, said co-author Dr. Ka He of Harvard’s School of Public Health and colleagues.

Their findings appear in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association.

A study in JAMA last year found that women who ate about 4 ounces of fish two to four times a week cut their stroke risk by 48 percent. The study found lower risk reductions in women who ate fish once a week or less.