Long chain fatty acids metabolism and cardiovascular risk factors in youth with type 1 diabetes.
Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2021;
31:297-305. [PMID:
33500106 DOI:
10.1016/j.numecd.2020.08.023]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Fatty acids (FAs) and their metabolizing enzymes have been associated with several cardiometabolic outcomes. Whether they correlate with cardiovascular risk in type 1 diabetes (T1D), it is unknown. We investigated whether erythrocyte FAs correlated with cardiovascular risk factors and dietary fats in youth with T1D.
METHODS AND RESULTS
We recruited 154 adolescents with T1D (aged 17.3 ± 2 years, 82 boys) and assessed blood pressure, plasma lipids, HbA1c, estimated insulin sensitivity (eIS) and dietary fats based on a 3-days weighed dietary record. Erythrocyte FAs were measured by gas chromatography and desaturase and elongase activities were estimated as product/precursor ratios. Delta-6-desaturase (D6D) activity correlated inversely with eIS (r = -0.32,p = 6.6∗10-5) and directly with triglycerides (r = 0.24, p = 0.003), adjusted for z-BMI, age and gender. No single erythrocyte FA correlated with eIS. Erythrocyte membrane stearic acid (SA) correlated with HbA1c adjusted for confounders and eIS (r = -0.26, p = 0.002). We found some weak (r ≤ 0.20) correlations between erythrocyte membrane FAs and dietary fats, which were not retained by correction for multiple testing.
CONCLUSION
In youth with T1D, D6D activity might exert unfavorable effects per se, beyond its role on FAs composition. This is in accordance with previous data associating D6D activity/D6D-enhancing polymorphisms with metabolic syndrome and incident type 2 diabetes, as well as D6D activity with the regulation of cellular red-ox balance. SA was a favorable marker of glycemic control. Future research is needed to clarify the biological pathways linking D6D and SA with the cardiometabolic health of youth with T1D.
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