Omega-3 supplementation boosts glucose and lipid metabolism in women with gestational diabetes

The effect of omega-3 supplementation on lipid and blood glucose metabolism is unknown in GDM patients. To fill this knowledge gap, Weixia Liu, First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China, and colleagues assessed whether omega-3 supplementation could improve lipid and glucose metabolism, inflammatory factors, and insulin resistance in women with gestational diabetes mellitus in a meta-study.

The researchers used a fixed-effects or random-effects meta-analysis model for analyzing the mean differences (MD) before and after omega-3 and placebo supplementation, thus assessing the effects of omega-3 on lipid and glucose metabolism, inflammatory factors, and insulin resistance.

The study led to the following findings:

• The meta-analysis included six randomized controlled trials comprising 331 participants.
• The levels of fasting plasma glucose (WMD = −0.25 mmol/L), fasting insulin (WMD = −17.13 pmol/L), and homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (WMD = −0.51) were lower in the omega-3 group than their levels in the placebo group.
• The results of lipid metabolism analysis revealed that triglycerides (WMD = −0.18 mmol/L) and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD = −0.1 mmol/L) decreased in the omega-3 group. In comparison, there was an increase in high-density lipoproteins (WMD = 0.06 mmol/L).
• There was a decrease in inflammatory factor serum C-reactive protein (SMD = −0.68 mmol/L) Compared to the placebo group.

To conclude, omega-3 supplementation can decrease inflammatory factors and FPG, reduce insulin resistance and enhance blood lipid metabolism in patients with GDM.

Reference:

Liu, W., Gao, M., Yang, S., Sun, C., Bi, Y., Li, Y., Wang, J., & Yuan, X. (2023). Effects of omega-3 supplementation on glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with gestational diabetes: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Diabetes and its Complications, 37(4), 108451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2023.108451