Are Omega 3 Fish Oils Okay for Diabetics?

Are omega 3 fish oils okay for diabetics? French researchers took a look at this question and their conclusion was “Oui!” (Diabetes Care, Vol. 21: 717-24)

That’s good news! Diabetics often have high triglyceride levels, which puts them at a much greater risk for coronary heart disease. And eating lots of fatty fish and taking fish oil supplements are two of the most powerful choices everyone, including diabetics, can make to help prevent heart disease.

Omega 3 fish oils, for example, help lower triglycerides by as much as 25% to 30%. Fish oil polyunsaturated omega 3 fatty acids DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), have also been shown to significantly reduce risk of stroke by 44% and sudden cardiac death (fatal heart attack) by 45%.

That’s why the American Heart Association (AHA) and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) both recommend that everyone, including diabetics, eat fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, herring or tongol tuna at least two or three times a week.

The AHA and NIH also recommend that anyone with diagnosed heart disease or at a higher risk for heart disease, which would include diabetics and everyone with high triglycerides, take daily fish oil supplements providing a combined one gram of DHA and EPA.

However, before the French research was published there was some concern that fish oil supplementation may increase unhealthy low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, as well as interfere with and be harmful to a diabetic’s glucose control ability.

The medical team at the Hotel-Dieu Hospital in Paris split a group of men diagnosed with type II diabetes into two groups. One group got fish oil supplements, while the other got a sunflower oil placebo.

The results were very positive. The fish oil group had significant increases in their blood levels of the important DHA and EPA omega 3 fatty acids. They also had significantly reduced triglycerides and no adverse affects on glucose tolerance. This is good for diabetics.

There was a slight increase in LDLs. But the French researchers didn’t think this was a problem, because there was a similar increase in good HDLs (high density lipoproteins), which kept the important LDL/HDL ratio the same.

The French research team concluded that omega 3 fish oils were not only okay for diabetics. They were also recommended as a perfectly good natural way for diabetics to lower triglycerides and reduce their risk of heart disease.

So, if you’re diabetic and have high triglyceride levels, “Bon appetit!”

Be Sociable, Share!

•