Higher docosahexaenoic acid proportions in blood are inversely associated with the prevalence of prediabetes

Evidence from the UK Biobank

verfasst von

Jan Philipp Schuchardt, Andreas Hahn, Theresa Greupner, Nathan L. Tintle, Jason Westra, William S. Harris

Abstract

Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus are growing global health concerns, predisposing individuals to various vascular complications. Lifestyle modifications, including dietary interventions, offer promising avenues for prevention and management. Using a multivariable-adjusted model, we analyzed the cross-sectional associations between plasma proportions (% of total fatty acids) of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n3 PUFA, including total n3 PUFA, docosahexaenoic acid [DHA], non-DHA n3 PUFA), and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) as well as the prevalence of prediabetes in a sample from the UK Biobank cohort. Our hypothesis was that proportions of n3 PUFA, especially DHA, would by inversely associated with the prediabetes prevalence. The sample (n = 92,762; 54.5% females) had an average age of 56 years and was overweight (mean body mass index = 27). The mean plasma DHA proportion in the sample was 2.03% (standard deviation [SD] = 0.67%), non-DHA n3 PUFA was 2.41% (SD = 1.02%) and total n3 PUFA was 4.43% (SD = 1.56%). Prediabetic individuals were identified by blood HbA1c proportions between 5.7% and 6.4% (39-46 mmol/mol) according to American Diabetes Association criteria. Each of the three n3 PUFA biomarkers was inversely associated with HbA1c proportions. In particular, DHA showed the strongest inverse association, with an OR of 0.62 (95% confidence intervals: 0.58, 0.67; P < .001) when comparing quintiles 5 to 1 in a fully adjusted model. These findings suggest a potential protective role of n3 PUFA, particularly DHA, in mitigating the risk of having prediabetes. Further prospective investigations are needed to clarify whether long-chain n3 PUFA could function as modifiable factors for prediabetes.

Organisationseinheit(en)

Institute of Food and One Health
Institut für Lebensmittelwissenschaft und Humanernährung
Abteilung Ernährungsphysiologie und Humanernährung

Externe Organisation(en)

Fatty Acid Research Institute (FARI)
University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)
University of South Dakota

Typ

Artikel

Journal

Nutrition research

Band

131

Seiten

62-70

Anzahl der Seiten

9

ISSN

0271-5317

Publikationsdatum

11.2024

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Endokrinologie, Diabetes und Stoffwechsel, Endokrinologie, Ernährung und Diätetik

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 3 – Gute Gesundheit und Wohlergehen

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2024.09.009 (Zugang: Offen)