Effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on serum fetuin-A levels in type 2 diabetic patients.

Fetuin-A is an endogenous inhibitor of the insulin-stimulated insulin receptor tyrosine kinase recently shown that high levels of circulating fetuin-A are associated with insulin resistance in humans suggesting that fetuin-A may represent a novel mechanism involved in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) are known to reduce triglyceride levels, but their impact on glycemic control are not well known. The aim of this study to determine the effects of omega-3 PUFA supplementation on fetuin-A and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. 40 T2DM patients (17 males/23 females; aged 39-65 years) were included in the study. Serum fetuin-A levels and metabolic and biochemical profiles were measured before (baseline) and two months after n-3 PUFA supplementations (1.2 g/day). Serum fetuin-A levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Our results indicated that serum fetuin-A, fasting glucose, HbA1c and triglyceride levels were significantly decreased after supplementation (P<0.02, P<0.001, P<0.02 and P<0.01, respectively). At baseline, serum fetuin-A levels were correlated with HbA1c (r:-0.391, P<0.04). A significant positive correlation between fetuin-A and both triglycerides (r: 0.343, P<0.05) and total cholesterol (r: 0.330, P<0.05) and negative correlation between fetuin-A and fasting glucose (r: -0.405, P<0.01) were found after the supplementations. When performed multiply regression analysis, we found that serum fetuin-a levels were related with triglyceride levels (r: 0.351, P<0.01) at baseline and HbA1c levels (r: 0.344, P<0.04) after the supplementation. Based on the results, it thought that omega-3 PUFA intake decreases serum fetuin-A levels and serum fetuin-A is associated with plasma lipids and glycemic controls in type 2 diabetic patients. Further studies are required to resolve the question.