Marine MUFAs may improve metabolic syndrome: Mouse study

Posted On: June 14, 2011

Long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids from fish sources may improve insulin sensitivity and reduce risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome, according to new research in mice.

The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, reports that blood plasma glucose, insulin, and lipid concentrations are enhanced, whilst insulin sensitivity is improved in mice fed a diet rich in marine derived long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs).

“This study demonstrates that fish-oil-derived MUFA ingestion reduces insulin resistance, as judged by the insulin tolerance test, and attenuates metabolic syndrome by improving hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperlipidemia,” wrote the study authors, led by Zhi-Hong Yang, from the Tokyo Innovation Center, Japan.

“Furthermore, intake of MUFA decreased obesity-induced inflammation by suppressing … inflammatory marker genes and arachidonic acid levels, thereby possibly, in turn, reducing insulin resistance in diet-induced obese mice,” they added.

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