Abstract
PURPOSE: Data on the relation between linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk are scarce and inconsistent. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of serum LA and ALA with fasting and 2 h post-load plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c).
METHOD: This study included 667 participants from third examination (2000) of the population-based Hoorn study in which individuals with glucose intolerance were overrepresented. Fatty acid profiles in serum total lipids were measured at baseline, in 2000. Diabetes risk markers were measured at baseline and follow-up in 2008. Linear regression models were used in cross-sectional and prospective analyses.
RESULTS: In cross-sectional analyses (n = 667), serum LA was inversely associated with plasma glucose, both in fasting conditions (B = -0.024 [-0.045, -0.002]) and 2 h after glucose tolerance test (B = -0.099 [-0.158, -0.039]), but not with HbA1c (B = 0.000 [-0.014, 0.013]), after adjustment for relevant factors. In prospective analyses (n = 257), serum LA was not associated with fasting (B = 0.003 [-0.019, 0.025]) or post-load glucose (B = -0.026 [-0.100, 0.049]). Furthermore, no significant associations were found between serum ALA and glucose metabolism in cross-sectional or prospective analyses.
CONCLUSIONS: In this study, serum LA was inversely associated with fasting and post-load glucose in cross-sectional, but not in prospective analyses. Further studies are needed to elucidate the exact role of serum LA and ALA levels and dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids in glucose metabolism.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2171-2180 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | European journal of nutrition |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2017 |
Funding
Acknowledgments Research Council of Norway funded the measurements of fatty acids levels. The Hoorn study has been supported by grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), the Dutch Diabetes Research Foundation, the Netherlands Heart Foundation, and Novartis Pharma BV, the Netherlands. Funding Research Council of Norway; Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO); the Dutch Diabetes Research Foundation; the Netherlands Heart Foundation; Novartis Pharma BV, the Netherlands. Research Council of Norway funded the measurements of fatty acids levels. The Hoorn study has been supported by grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), the Dutch Diabetes Research Foundation, the Netherlands Heart Foundation, and Novartis Pharma BV, the Netherlands. The authors’ contributions were as follows: JMD, GN, and CDAS were the principal investigators of the Hoorn study and designed the present study with HR, IAB, and MA. MC wrote the manuscript and analyzed and interpreted the data with MA, IAB, JMD, and PLZ. JMD, GN, and AE coordinated and supervised the data collection. All authors reviewed the manuscript and provided comments. All authors approved the final manuscript. Research Council of Norway; Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO); the Dutch Diabetes Research Foundation; the Netherlands Heart Foundation; Novartis Pharma BV, the Netherlands. MA and PZ are employees of Unilever. MC was a Unilever employee at the time of conducting the study. Unilever markets food products made of vegetable oils, including margarines and dressings.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Funding Research Council of Norway | |
| Novartis Pharma | |
| International Association of Bryologists | |
| Hartstichting | |
| Diabetes Fonds | |
| Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek | |
| Norges forskningsråd |
Keywords
- Alpha-linolenic acid
- Glucose
- Hemoglobin A1c
- Linoleic acid
- Serum fatty acids
- Type 2 diabetes
