Diabetes Risk Reduced by Omega-6

Linoleic acid might help to prevent type 2 diabetes, according to the findings of a recent study.

The researchers analyzed data from 20 prospective cohort studies conducted in 10 different countries. A total of 39,740 adults without diabetes at baseline and with available biomarker samples of linoleic acid and arachidonic acid were included in the analysis. The researchers assessed the association between omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) biomarkers and incident of type 2 diabetes, as well as calculated the relative risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
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During the 366,073 person-years of follow-up, a total of 4347 cases of type 2 diabetes were identified.

Overall, higher proportions of linoleic acid biomarkers as a percentage of total fatty acid were associated with a lower risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Arachidonic acid levels were not significantly associated with the risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

The associations between linoleic acid and arachidonic acid and type 2 diabetes were not significantly modified by potential sources of heterogeneity, including age, sex, body mass index, aspirin use, variants of the FADS gene and omega-3 PUFA levels.

“Findings suggest that linoleic acid has long-term benefits for the prevention of type 2 diabetes and that arachidonic acid is not harmful,” the researchers concluded.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Wu JHY, Marklund M, Imamura F, et al.Omega-6 fatty acid biomarkers and incident type 2 diabetes: pooled analysis of individual-level data for 39 740 adults from 20 prospective cohort studies [published online October 12, 2017]. Lancet Diabet Endocrinol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(17)30307-8.