Total n-3 fatty acid and SFA intakes in relation to insulin resistance in a Canadian First Nation at risk for the development of type 2 diabetes

• Published in: Public Health Nutrition
• Main Authors: Paquet, Catherine, Propsting, Sarah, DANIEL, Mark
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: British Columbia; Canada; First Nations
• Online Access: https://researchprofiles.canberra.edu.au/en/publications/68cac2af-8ee7-454e-8fc6-c7e0031e9d95; https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980013000542; https://researchsystem.canberra.edu.au/ws/files/9281519/total_n3_fatty_acid_and_sfa_intakes_in_relation_to_insulin_resistance_in_a_canadian_first_nation_at_risk_for_the_development_of_type_2_diabetes.pdf; http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84903133828&partnerID=8YFLogxK

Objective: The present study sought to investigate the associations of total n-3 fatty acid and SFA intakes with insulin resistance in a Canadian First Nation sample at risk for type 2 diabetes. Design: Fasting values for glucose and insulin were used to estimate insulin resistance by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). Intakes of n-3 fatty acids and SFA were computed from dietary food and drink data obtained using 3 d food records. Associations between HOMA-IR and dietary n-3 and SFA consumption were tested using linear regression models accounting for age, sex, community, education, physical activity, waist circumference, fibre, protein and carbohydrate intakes, and HDL-cholesterol and TAG concentrations.Setting: Rural Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada. Subjects: On-reserve First Nation individuals (Interior Salishan) aged 18 years and over, recruited for community-based diabetes screening and determined to be normoglycaemic (n 126).Results: HOMA-IR was negatively associated with dietary n-3 fatty acid intake (β = −0·22; 95 % CI −0·39, −0·04; P = 0·016) and positively associated with dietary SFA intake (β = 0·34; 95 % CI 0·15, 0·53; P = 0·0 0 1).Conclusions: Intake of dietary n-3 fatty acids may be protective against whereas SFA intake may promote insulin resistance in this high-risk Canadian First Nation sample. Reduced dietary SFA intake and greater n-3 fatty acid intake may assist the prevention of glycaemic disease among First Nations peoples. More rigorous, controlled trials are required to test whether dietary supplementation with n-3 fatty acids in natural or supplement-based form might reduce diabetes risk in high-risk aboriginal groups.