Associations of whole blood polyunsaturated fatty acids and insulin resistance among European children and adolescents
Open Access
- 8 April 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in European Journal of Pediatrics
- Vol. 179 (10), 1647-1651
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-020-03636-1
Abstract
This study aims to examine the association of whole blood n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) with insulin resistance (IR) in children. Whole blood fatty acids were measured in 705 children aged 2–9 years of the European IDEFICS/I.Family cohort using gas chromatography in units of weight percentage of all detected fatty acids (%wt/wt). IR was determined by the Homeostasis Model Assessment for IR (HOMA). Mixed effect models were used to assess the associations between selected baseline PUFA and HOMA z-scores at baseline and after 2- and 6-year follow-ups using models with basic and additional confounder adjustment as well as stratified by sex and weight status. In the basic model, α-linolenic (β = 1.46 SD/%wt/wt, p = 0.006) and eicosapentaenoic acid (β = 1.17 SD/%wt/wt, p = 0.001) were positively associated with baseline HOMA z-score. In the stratified analyses, α-linolenic acid was positively associated with HOMA z-score in girls only (β = 1.98 SD/%wt/wt, p = 0.006) and arachidonic acid was inversely associated with baseline HOMA in thin/normal-weight children (β = − 0.13 SD/%wt/wt, p = 0.0063). In the fully adjusted model, no statistically significant associations were seen. Conclusions: Our overall results do not indicate a protective role of higher blood n-3 PUFA or an adverse role of higher blood arachidonic acid proportion on the risk of IR. What is Known: •Intervention studies reported a beneficial effect of n-3 PUFA supplementation on insulin resistance compared with placebo while observational studies in cildren are inconclusive. •Studies have shown a positive association of n-6 arachidonic acid and insulin resistance indicating an adverse role of arachidonic acid. What is New: •Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses based on circulating blood fatty acid concentrations in a large cohort of European children and adolescents. •Overall results do not support a protective role of n-3 PUFA or an adverse role of arachidonic acid in insulin resistance.Keywords
Funding Information
- Sixth Framework Programme (016181)
- Seventh Framework Programme (266044)
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Childhood obesity affects adult metabolic syndrome and diabetesEndocrine, 2015
- Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid in Whole Blood Are Differentially and Sex-Specifically Associated with Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in 8–11-Year-Old Danish ChildrenPLOS ONE, 2014
- Daily flaxseed consumption improves glycemic control in obese men and women with pre-diabetes: a randomized studyNutrition Research, 2013
- Omega-3 index, obesity and insulin resistance in childrenPediatric Obesity, 2011
- Higher dietary intake of alpha-linolenic acid is associated with lower insulin resistance in middle-aged JapanesePreventive Medicine, 2010
- Arachidonic Acid Content in Adipose Tissue Is Associated With Insulin Resistance in Healthy ChildrenJournal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 2007
- Serum Phospholipid Fatty Acids, Adipose Tissue, and Metabolic Markers in Obese AdolescentsObesity, 2006
- Prevalence and Determinants of Insulin Resistance Among U.S. AdolescentsDiabetes Care, 2006
- Fatty acid composition of serum cholesterol esters in different degrees of glucose intolerance: A population-based studyMetabolism, 1990
- Homeostasis model assessment: insulin resistance and ?-cell function from fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in manDiabetologia, 1985