Omega-3s Help to Improve Insulin Markers

A growing body of evidence suggests that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can improve the lipid profiles, boost inflammatory responses, and reduce blood pressure, pulse pressure, and basal heart rate.  Giuseppe Derosa, from the University of Pavia (Italy), and colleagues, studied 167 subjects, each of whom received either one gram of omega-3s (concentrated EPA and DHA), or one gram of either placebo (a capsule containing sucrose, mannitol, and mineral salts) e three times a day, during meals, for six months.  The team found that the group that consumed the omega-3 capsules showed  improvements in HDL-cholesterol and plasma triglyceride markers, with total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol unchanged, as compared to placebo.  After challenging the subjects  with an oral fat load, the researchers found that the group taking omega-3 capsules showed an improvement of all parameters, include insulin resistance biomarkers, while there was a neutral effect with placebo.  Commenting that: “Treatment with [omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids] not only improved lipid profile in a baseline situation, but it also improved all insulin resistance parameters in a post-prandial situation,” the team concludes that: “This is another important action of the [omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids] which can increase their utility in the clinical practice.”