Hormonal
Increasing long-chain omega-3 intake has little or no effect on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or on glucose metabolism markers (HbA1c, fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR).
If you are taking omega-3 supplements hoping to lower your blood sugar or prevent diabetes, this review suggests you are unlikely to see those specific benefits. The evidence shows no significant change in diabetes risk or glucose levels. Continue taking them if you like for general health, but do not rely on them for diabetes management.
Long chain omega-3 had little or no effect on likelihood of diagnosis of diabetes... or measures of glucose metabolism (HbA1c mean difference −0.02%... plasma glucose 0.04... fasting insulin 1.02... HOMA-IR 0.06).
Why this rating
Based on 83 RCTs and 58,643 participants, rated as moderate quality by GRADE.
Source
Omega-3, omega-6, and total dietary polyunsaturated fat for prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Tracey Brown et al. · BMJ · 2019
DOI 10.1136/bmj.l4697
More from this paper
- High-dose long-chain omega-3 supplementation (>4.4 g/day) may worsen glucose metabolism, including increasing the risk of diabetes diagnosis and raising HbA1c and fasting glucose.Moderate
- Increasing alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) intake may increase fasting insulin levels by approximately 7%, but has little or no effect on other glucose metabolism markers.Moderate
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