Fish oils for cardiovascular disease: Impact on diabetes

The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity has led to an epidemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and is likely to be followed by an epidemic of patients with complications of T2DM such as cardiovascular diseases, neuropathy, retinopathy, and nephropathy. Nutritional interventions that incorporate functional foods, such fish oils – in particular n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) – may be a novel strategy to reduce insulin insensitivity, dyslipidemia, hypertension and pro-inflammatory state. The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of fish oil supplementation on blood lipids, glycemic control, blood pressure and inflammation in subjects with T2DM. Overall, the literature suggests that n-3 PUFA supplementation in diet presents many benefits in T2DM management mainly in terms of dyslipidemia; however, the impact of n-3 PUFAs on glucose control, blood pressure, inflammation and oxidations is less definitive. Overall, n-3 PUFA supplementation represents a reasonable therapeutic strategy in individuals with T2DM to decrease the risk of complications.