Abstract
BackgroundPrevious studies have yielded inconsistent findings on the role of fish oil in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We systematically summarized the available evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCT) and aimed to investigate the effects of fish oil supplementation on glucose control and lipid levels among patients with T2DM.MethodsA comprehensive literature search was performed in electronic databases (PubMed, ProQuest, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang) to identify all relevant RCTs which were published up to May 31st, 2019. We used Modified Jadad Score system to evaluate the quality of each included RCT. The pooled effects were estimated using random-effects model and presented as standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals.ResultsA total of 12 RCTs were included in this meta-analysis. There was no significant difference in glucose control outcomes comparing fish oil supplementation to placebo. The effect size of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was 0.13 (95% CI: − 0.03 to 0.28, p > 0.05). No marked change was observed in fasting insulin (FINS), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and HOMA of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels. Fish oil supplementation was associated with a decrease of triglyceride (TG) level by − 0.40 (95%CI: − 0.53 to − 0.28, p < 0.05), and an increase of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level by 0.21 (95%CI: 0.05 to 0.37, p < 0.05). In subgroup analysis, HDL cholesterol level was higher among Asian and low-dose(< 2 g/d n-3 PUFA) subgroups compared to their counterparts (p < 0.05). TG level was lower in mid and long duration groups, along with an inconspicuous difference in short duration group.ConclusionsThis meta-analysis shows that among patients with T2DM, fish oil supplementation leads to a favorable blood lipids profile but does not improve glucose control.
Highlights
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a long-term metabolic disorder which is characterized by high blood glucose in conditions of insulin resistance and/or insufficient insulin secretion [1]
Full articles were retrieved for further assessment following the inclusion criteria: 1) human Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with fish oil supplementation intervention; 2) the study population was type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients; 3) the control group received placebos without n-3 fatty acid elements. 4) the study reported outcomes including TG, Total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting plasma insulin (FINS), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), HOMA of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) at baseline and the end of trial
We excluded studies which were not conducted in T2DM participants, did not use fish oil intervention, not relevant to the topic, and not in English or Chinese through full-text reading
Summary
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a long-term metabolic disorder which is characterized by high blood glucose in conditions of insulin resistance and/or insufficient insulin secretion [1]. It is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world, which is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), blindness, kidney failure, and all types of cancer [2]. Previous studies have yielded inconsistent findings on the role of fish oil in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We systematically summarized the available evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCT) and aimed to investigate the effects of fish oil supplementation on glucose control and lipid levels among patients with T2DM
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