Consumption of an n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid-enriched dip modulates plasma lipid profile in subjects with diabetes type II.

OBJECTIVE: Recent developments in micro-emulsification technology have allowed the fortification of foods with long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) without the undesirable fish odour/taste and with reasonable shelf life. The effects of supplementing the diets of people with diabetes type II with a hummus-based dip enriched with long-chain n-3PUFA on plasma fatty acid composition and lipid levels were examined. DESIGN: A pre- and post-intervention study. SETTING: This study was conducted at the University of Newcastle, Australia. SUBJECTS: Participants were recruited via advertisements on the University of Newcastle notice boards and in the local newspapers. Following initial response to study advertisements, information statements were mailed out to 29 potential participants. Thirteen participants were eligible and consented to participate in the trial. There were no dropouts as all the 13 participants completed 6-week intervention trial. METHODS: Free-living male and female subjects with diabetes type II (n=13) consumed the n-3PUFA-enriched dip for a period of 6 weeks. Fasting blood samples were collected pre- and post-intervention for analyses of fatty acids and plasma lipids. RESULTS: Following 6 weeks of consuming the enriched dip, all the long-chain n-3PUFA (20:5n-3, 22:5n-3 and 22:6n-3) were significantly (P<0.05) elevated in the plasma lipids. This represented an increase in 20:5n-3 content by 117%, an increase in 22:5n-3 content by 15% and an increase in 22:6n-3 content by 80% over the baseline values before dip consumption. A significant reduction (P<0.05) in the plasma triglyceride levels from 1.93 (1.08-2.09) mmol/l at baseline to 1.27 (0.93-2.22) mmol/l after 6 weeks was also apparent following the consumption of the n-3PUFA-enriched dip. Plasma cholesterol was unchanged; however, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol (2.46+/-0.21 versus 2.72+/-0.22 mmol/l, P<0.034) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (1.16+/-0.09 versus 1.22+/-0.09 mmol/l, P<0.042) were significantly increased following the dietary intervention. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that n-3PUFA are readily bioavailable from the fortified dip matrix and alter the plasma lipid profile.

Trauma exposure, resilience, social support, and PTSD construct validity among former prisoners of war.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate predictors of persistent symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and to examine the construct validity of PTSD in a national sample of 270 World War II and Korean Conflict prisoners of war (POWs). METHOD: POWs were interviewed at two points in time (1965 and 1990). Predictors included PTSD symptomatology measured in 1965 by items from the Cornell Medical Index (CMI), severity of captivity trauma, resilience factors, and post-trauma social support. The criterion, symptomatology in the early 1990s, was evaluated with the PTSD module of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID). RESULTS: The CMI provided only partial coverage of PTSD criteria and appeared to provide only a general index of distress. Clustering of SCID items in two-dimensional space via multidimensional scaling analysis offers some construct validation for the DSM's differentiation of PTSD symptoms into criterion groups, although there was not a perfect match. Trauma severity is best related to PTSD symptomatology experienced in 1990, mitigated in part by greater education level and age at the time of trauma exposure. Surprisingly, 1965 distress added only a modest amount to the prediction of current distress, while post-trauma social support added none. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support previous work showing the severe psychological sequelae of POW status 40-50 years after captivity, and indicate that trauma severity during captivity is the best predictor of current PTSD symptomatology. Results also add to our understanding of the conceptual differentiation of PTSD symptoms into separate and distinct symptom clusters.