Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Intake Linked to Lower Mortality Risk in Diabetes

By Kelly Young

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH

Higher consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is associated with lower mortality risk in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to an observational study in The BMJ.

Using the Nurses Health' Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, researchers identified roughly 11,000 people with type 2 diabetes and examined their diets with food-frequency questionnaires.

During a mean 11 years' follow-up, 22% of participants died. People in the highest quartile of PUFA intake had lower risk for cardiovascular mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.76) and all-cause mortality (0.68), compared with those in the lowest quartile. For total mortality, results were significant for both marine omega-3 PUFAs and linoleic acid. For cardiovascular mortality, only fish-derived fatty acids conferred a benefit.

Meanwhile, those in the highest quartile of animal-derived monounsaturated fatty acids (e.g., red meat, dairy) had higher risk for total mortality (HR, 1.23) relative to the lowest quartile.

The authors conclude: "Our results suggest that dietary PUFAs, in replacement of saturated fatty acids or carbohydrates, may facilitate long term survival among adults with type 2 diabetes."