Blood indices of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are altered in hyperglycemia

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may favorably influence the risk and clinical course of diabetes mellitus (DM). In particular, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid (AA) alleviate oxidative injury and insulin resistance characteristic of DM. Uncertainty still remains, however, as to the composition and proportions of blood PUFAs in relation to fasting blood glucose levels. This study, thus, aims to examine the patterns of blood PUFA indices in normoglycemic (NG) and hyperglycemic (HG) Saudi subjects. Age, gender, FA profiles, and laboratory records of 143 subjects collected from September 2014 to March 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Means, prevalence rates, associations, risk measures, and the diagnostic accuracy of PUFAs were determined. HG subjects had significantly lower AA (0.70%, 95% CI: 0.59–0.80% vs 0.46%, 95% CI: 0.38–0.53%) and higher EPA/AA ratio (0.36, 95% CI: 0.30–0.42 vs 0.69, 95% CI: 0.61–0.77). Gender-wise comparisons revealed that ώ-6/ώ-3 ratio was the only PUFA index significantly elevated in HG males (0.36, 95% CI: 0.26–0.45 vs 5.68, 95% CI: 4.98–6.38) while both DHA (2.91%, 95% CI: 2.54–3.29% vs 3.37%, 95% CI: 3.13–3.60%) and ώ-3 index (3.1%, 95% CI: 2.70–3.49% vs 3.63%, 95% CI: 3.38–3.88%) were significantly elevated in HG females. Furthermore, reduced AA and elevated EPA/AA ratio were more prevalent in HG subjects (26.53 vs 28.72 and 30.61 vs 38.29, respectively) and exhibited the highest diagnostic accuracy for HG among all PUFA indices. Altogether, our study revealed that distinct, gender-specific blood PUFA indices are differentially regulated in HG subjects which may be valuable for DM management.