A distinctive fatty acid profile in circulating lipids of Korean gestational diabetics: A pilot study

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a transient metabolic disorder that is a strong predictor of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Previously, GDM was associated with reduced red cell long-chain omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in population (British) with high intake of total and saturated fat. The aim of the study was to examine blood fatty acids status of GDM patients (n = 12) and normoglycaemic women (control, n = 12) from South Korea where typical diet retains high omega-3 fat with low total fat intake. Subjects were matched for BMI and gestation week. Blood obtained at delivery were analyzed for plasma triacylglycerols (TG), phosphatidylcholine (PC), sphingomyelin (SM), and red cell PC, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and SM fatty acids. GDM patients had lower total saturated fatty acids (SFA) in the plasma TG (p < 0.05) and PC (p < 0.0001), and higher omega-6 and omega-3 metabolites in the plasma PC (p < 0.05) than the controls. Conversely, the red cell PC and PE of the GDM contained higher proportions of palmitic (p < 0.05) and SFA (p < 0.05) but lower arachidonic (p < 0.05) and docosahexaenoic (p > 0.05) acids compared with the controls. Interestingly, red cell PC arachidonic acid level was comparable between Korean and British women whereas docosahexaenoic acid level decreased in the order of Korean control (5.5 ± 0.9) > Korean GDM (3.5 ± 2.1) = British control (3.9 ± 2.9) > British GDM (2.8 ± 2.3) (p < 0.05). The similarity in the plasma and red cell fatty acids profile between Korean and British cohort suggests that the reduced membrane arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids in GDM might be attributed to the effect of the disease itself regardless of ethnicity, obesity, or diet.