Research

Macro partitioning

A Mediterranean diet rich in alpha-linolenic acid increases plasma levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes, potentially reducing coronary heart disease risk.

Incorporating a Mediterranean diet, which is rich in alpha-linolenic acid, can increase plasma levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes. This increase in EPA is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
It is interesting to note that, in this study, modest dietary intervention increased plasma EPA concentration. Because the increase in the concentration of EPA occurred without an accompanying increase in the concentration of docosahexaenoic acid, the change may have been produced by the consumption of alpha-linolenic acid rather than increased fish consumption.
Deborah J. Toobert et al. · Diabetes Care · 2003

Why this rating

The finding is based on a secondary outcome (plasma fatty acids) which neared statistical significance (P = 0.059) and is specific to EPA levels.

Source

Biologic and Quality-of-Life Outcomes From the Mediterranean Lifestyle Program

Deborah J. Toobert et al. · Diabetes Care · 2003

DOI 10.2337/diacare.26.8.2288

rct · n=279Cited 241×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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