ABSTRACT
Background: This study was conducted to determine the effects of n-3 PUFAs supplementation on plasma homocysteine [Hcy] level, lipid profile and insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes [T2D]
Methods: This study is a double-blind controlled trial involving 70 patients with T2D selected from Yazd Diabetes Research Center in 2013. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 2 g/day omega-3 soft gels [OG] or 2 g/day placebo [PG] for 6 weeks. At the beginning and end of the study, Hcy concentration, fasting plasma glucose [FBG], fasting plasma insulin, total cholesterol [TC], triglycerides [TG], low density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-c], high density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-c], HDL-c/LDL-c ratio, insulin resistance [HOMA-IR], insulin sensitivity [IS] and beta-cell function were measured and compared
Results: Sixty five participants completed the study. The results of this study showed that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation caused significant increase in Hcy [P = 0.007] and LDLc [P = 0.02], while HDLc and HDLc/LDLc ratio were significantly decreased [P = 0.001 and 0.006, respectively]. In both groups, insulin and HOMA-IR were increased, while IS decreased significantly. BETAetacell function was increased only in OG [P = 0.005]. There was no significant difference in mean change of any factors
Conclusion: The present study found no beneficial effects of 2 g/day omega-3 supplement for 6 weeks on biomarkers of Hcy, FBG, insulin and lipid profile in th T2D patients