Omega-3s Level Triglycerides in Diabetic Patients
Diabetes: fish oil lowers triglycerides in patients
Omega-3s represent a new therapeutic opportunity for those suffering from diabetes and having problems with elevated blood lipids. Eliot Brinton, a physician at the Utah Foundation for Biomedical Research in Salt Lake City (USA), previewed the news at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in Philadelphia (USA). According to studies not yet officially published, a new drug composed of 96% Omega-3 EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) improves lipid concentrations in patients already on other medications, without interfering with diabetes treatments.
Omega-3 against fats and sugars
The study presented at the conference focused on a group of 702 patients on statins, drugs useful to reduce blood fat levels. Statin treatment had already normalized LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels (between 40 and 100 milligrams per deciliter) in all participants, but not triglycerides, which ranged from 200 to 500 milligrams per deciliter. Among them, 514 were affected by type 2 diabetes, the form of the disease that tends to develop with age. Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 possible groups:
- The first two groups respectively took 4 or 2 grams per day of the Omega-3 drug for 12 weeks;
- The third group received a placebo for the same period.
At the end of the 12 weeks, the higher dose of the drug allowed diabetic patients to:
- reduce triglyceride levels by 23.2%;
- decrease all cholesterol types except “good” cholesterol (HDL) by 14.4%;
- lower LDL cholesterol levels by 6.6%.
Patients also showed reductions in:
- apo B concentrations, a protein contained in a particular form of “bad” cholesterol (9.5%);
- RLP-C particles, associated with atherosclerosis (25%).
Brinton emphasized that the most significant effects were seen in patients who had more difficulty controlling diabetes at the start of the treatment. In these patients, levels of C-reactive protein, which if elevated indicate the presence of inflammation, were significantly lower at the end of the 12 weeks, with a reduction of 34.6%. The researcher also clarified that all these changes did not affect the parameters used to monitor diabetes, including insulin levels.
Dose-dependent effect for a drug for patients with diabetes
The effect observed by Brinton and colleagues was dose-dependent. The drug was less effective when taken at the lower dose. Overall, these data suggest that this new Omega-3-based drug could be particularly useful for diabetics who need to control both blood lipids and the disease itself. The researcher explained that the intake of Omega-3 also had anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, providing further protection for the cardiovascular health of these patients.
1. Brinton E, Ballantyne C, Bays H, Kastelein J, Braeckman R, Soni P, “Effects of AMR101 on Lipid and Inflammatory Parameters in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus-2 and Residual Elevated Triglycerides (200-500 mg/dL) on Statin Therapy at LDL-C Goal: the ANCHOR Study" ADA 2012; Abstract 629-P
