Implication of lipids in macrosomia of diabetic pregnancy: can n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids exert beneficial effects?

Abstract

Macrosomia or fetal obesity is a frequent complication of pregnancy in diabetes mellitus. Several alterations observed in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in macrosomic infants of diabetic mothers are thought to be a consequence of maternal hyperglycaemia leading to fetal hyperinsulinaemia. Macrosomic infants of diabetic mothers are prone to the development of glucose intolerance, obesity and diabetes during childhood and adulthood. Furthermore, increasing evidence is accumulating regarding the importance of n -3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the reduction of plasma lipids and hyperglycaemia. In this review article, we shed light on the abnormalities in lipid metabolism in macrosomia. We also raise the question of the possible beneficial effects of n -3 PUFAs in diabetic pregnancy and in the prevention and treatment of long-term metabolic abnormalities associated with macrosomia.

N-3 Fatty acids modulate antioxidant status in diabetic rats and their macrosomic offspring

“…Our findings are in accordance with several studies which have reported that dietary n-3 PUFA might counteract maternal and fetal hypertriglyceridemia and might decrease weight gain associated with macrosomia. 16,62 In our study, diabetes causes a major decline in plasma AA and an increase in LA concentrations in dams and their macrosomic offspring, and this may be due to an impaired activity of D 5 and D 6 desaturases. 63 The complications associated with diabetes, such as increased oxidative stress and hyperglycemia, could be related to this intense decline of plasma AA concentrations, as some studies have shown that AA may have a critical role in maintaining the appropriate mass and function of islet beta-cells by influencing rates of cell proliferation and insulin secretion.…”

“…However, several reports have shown the beneficial effects of fish oils containing n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the protection against lipid peroxidation in rat and human beings with diabetes. 15,16 Owing to these beneficial effects of n-3 PUFA, we tested the hypothesis whether EPA and DHA are implicated in prevention and protection against free radical production or oxidative stress associated with lipid peroxidation in diabetes. To our knowledge, no studies have directly investigated the role of EPA and DHA in lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in macrosomia.…”

Time for an oil check: the role of essential omega-3 fatty acids in maternal and pediatric health

“…54 Furthermore, there is also evidence that o3FA supplementation appears to be beneficial in diabetic pregnancy for the prevention of long-term metabolic abnormalities in the child. 55 In the post-natal phase, case-control studies have demonstrated that regular use of cod liver oil in the first year of life is associated with a lower risk of subsequent childhood type-1 diabetes. 56 Over the past few decades, there has been a major qualitative transition in nutritional patterns with a dramatic increase in the relative consumption of o6 lipids.…”

Mitochondrial Free Radicals, Antioxidants, Nutrient Substances, and Chronic Hepatitis C

“…Both EPA and DHA have been shown to exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory activities (efficiently suppressed NF-kB activation), and reduction of pro-inflammatory lipid mediators (Merzouk et al, 2003;Calder, 2006) and subsequently incorporate into the mitochondrial membranes and maintain the membrane fluidity (Chapkin et al, 2002(Chapkin et al, , 2009). Thus, both EPA and DHA are essential for mitochondrial function, inhibition of HCV-RNA replication (Liu et al, 2010), increases in insulin sensitivity (Ye et al, 2001) and hepatic lipid metabolism (Araya et al, 2004;AlGayyar et al, 2011).…”