Omega-3 diet improves insulin sensitivity

PHOENIX, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A diet high in omega-3 fat improves insulin sensitivity and reduces inflammatory markers, but doesn't alter endocrine responsiveness, U.S. researchers said.

"Animal studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids may help hormone signals get into cells whose cell membrane has been stiffened by age," Dr. S. Mitchell Harman, director and president of Croons Longevity Research Institute in Phoenix, said in a statement

Kronos Longevity Research Institute researchers examined the effects of a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids on the loss of normal hormone balance that occurs during normal aging.

All participants were given a conventional Western diet with defined fat and daily intake of olive/corn oil mix for six weeks. For the next eight weeks, participants were placed on a high omega-3 content fish diet with additional supplementation of fish oil, high in omega-3.

The study, published in Hormones and Metabolic Research, showed that in a diet with a high intake of omega-3, triglycerides were reduced in women and free fatty acids were reduced in men. Serum C-reactive protein was also reduced with a high omega-3 diet.

"We concluded that a diet high in omega-3 increases insulin sensitivity and reduces inflammatory markers," Harman said. "However, it did not alter endocrine responsiveness after eight weeks."