Kuwait Times

Published Date: September 27, 2007

WASHINGTON: Consuming the omega-3 fatty acids present in certain kinds of fish could lower the likelihood of acquiring type 1 diabetes in children who are at risk, a study suggested yesterday. The research found that children with a genetic risk of acquiring type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that causes the destruction of insulin-producing cells, could reduce their risk by 55 percent by eating omega-3s. Type 1 diabetes is treatable but has no cure, and although its exact cause is unknown it is believe
d to be influenced by both environmental and genetic factors.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was conducted between 1994 and 2006 and included 1,770 children. The subjects were at "increased risk for type 1 diabetes, defined as either possession of a high diabetes risk HLA (human leukocyte antigen) or having a sibling or parent with type 1 diabetes.

Over the course of an average of 6.2 years, the development of their pancreatic cells which produce insulin were traced in relation to their consumption of omega-3, beginning at age one. Dietary information was supplied by their parents who filled out a food frequency questionnaire. "Our study suggests that higher consumption of total omega-3 fatty acids ... is associated with a lower risk of IA (pancreatic islet autoimmunity, or the development of antibodies against the cells that produce insulin) in chil
dren at increased genetic risk of type 1 diabetes," the researchers said.

Juvenile diabetes occurs less frequently, with just 10 percent of all cases, than type 2 diabetes which mainly affects adults over age 40, many of whom are obese or overweight. Fish rich in omega-3 are mackerel, sardines, tuna and salmon. - AFP