Dietary PUFA and the metabolic syndrome in Indian Asians living in the UK

Abstract

Indian Asians living in the UK have a 50 % higher CHD mortality rate compared with the indigenous Caucasian population, which cannot be attributed to traditional risk factors. Instead, features of the metabolic syndrome, including raised plasma triacylglycerol, reduced HDLcholesterol (HDL-C) and an increased proportion of small dense LDL particles, together with insulin resistance and central obesity, are prevalent among this population. The present review examines evidence to support the hypothesis that an imbalance in dietary PUFA intake, specifically a higher intake of n-6 PUFA in combination with a lower intake of the long-chain (LC) n-3 PUFA, plays an important role in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome observed in Indian Asians. Data are presented to illustrate the impact of manipulation of the background n-6 PUFA intake (moderate or high n-6 PUFA) and the subsequent response to supplementation with LC n-3 PUFA on blood lipids and insulin action in a group of Indian Asian volunteers. The results demonstrate that supplementation with LC n-3 PUFA had no impact on insulin action in those subjects consuming either the moderate-or high-n-6 PUFA diet. In the postprandial phase reductions in plasma triacylglycerol concentrations were greater in those consuming the high-n-6 PUFA background diet subsequent to fish oil supplementation. The present study concludes that, contrary to the central hypothesis, the prevalence of metabolic abnormalities in Indian Asians compared with Caucasians may not be attributable to differences in intakes of n-6 and n-3 PUFA.

Fish Consumption, Long-Chain Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Intake and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis

“…It has been hypothesized that fish or LCω3PUFA intake may be associated with lower risk of MetS [ 27 ]. However, data directly linking fish consumption or LCω3PUFA intake to the risk of MetS are sparse.…”

Ethnicity and Inflammatory Pathways - Implications for Vascular Disease, Vascular Risk and Therapeutic Intervention

“…Brady et al [196] examined the evidence to support the hypothesis that this increase in metabolic syndrome may in part be due to a dietary imbalance of poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The results from their investigation demonstrated that dietary supplementation with long chain n-3 PUFA had no impact on insulin action in those subjects consuming either the moderate-or high-n-6 PUFA diet.…”

Fatty Acid Composition of Plasma, Erythrocytes and Adipose: Their Correlations and Effects of Age and Sex

“…This is an obvious reflection of the westernization of Japanese dietary habits, and it has had a negative impact. Dietary intake of fat is related to cardiovascular disease [4,7,8], obesity [9,10] and some cancers [2,3]. Greater emphasis has been placed on the potential health benefit of maintaining good nutritional practices.…”