Hormonal
Substituting saturated fatty acids with monounsaturated fatty acids in the diet improves insulin sensitivity, whereas substituting saturated fats with polyunsaturated n-6 fatty acids does not.
To improve insulin sensitivity, focus on replacing saturated fats (like butter) with monounsaturated fats (like olive oil or rapeseed oil). Simply adding more polyunsaturated fats (like corn or sunflower oil) or omega-3 supplements does not appear to improve insulin sensitivity on its own, according to this research.
In a recent 3-month study, it was shown that insulin sensitivity was impaired when the proportion of saturated fat increased in the diet at the expense of mono-unsaturated fatty acids. Supplementation of n-3 fatty acid to the diet did not affect insulin sensitivity, independent of the fatty acid composition of the background diet.
Why this rating
Based on controlled crossover dietary studies with measured outcomes (clamp technique), though the specific n-6 substitution effect on insulin sensitivity was not significant in the cited study.
Source
Desaturation and Elongation of Fatty Acids and Insulin Action
B. Vessby et al. · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2002
DOI 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2002.tb04275.x
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