Changes in desaturase activity are associated with insulin sensitivity and may be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the fatty acid desaturase (
FADS) gene cluster have been associated with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IS)
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Changes in desaturase activity are associated with insulin sensitivity and may be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the fatty acid desaturase (
FADS) gene cluster have been associated with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IS) and serum fatty acid composition.
Objective: To investigate whether common genetic variations in the
FADS gene cluster influence fasting glucose (FG) and fasting insulin (FI) responses following a 6-week
n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) supplementation.
Methods: 210 subjects completed a 2-week run-in period followed by a 6-week supplementation with 5 g/d of fish oil (providing 1.9 g–2.2 g of EPA + 1.1 g of DHA). Genotyping of 18 SNPs of the
FADS gene cluster covering 90% of all common genetic variations (minor allele frequency ≥ 0.03) was performed.
Results: Carriers of the minor allele for rs482548 (
FADS2) had increased plasma FG levels after the
n-3 PUFA supplementation in a model adjusted for FG levels at baseline, age, sex, and BMI. A significant genotype*supplementation interaction effect on FG levels was observed for rs482548 (
p = 0.008). For FI levels, a genotype effect was observed with one SNP (rs174456). For HOMA-IS, several genotype*supplementation interaction effects were observed for rs7394871, rs174602, rs174570, rs7482316 and rs482548 (
p = 0.03,
p = 0.01,
p = 0.03,
p = 0.05 and
p = 0.07; respectively).
Conclusion: Results suggest that SNPs in the
FADS gene cluster may modulate plasma FG, FI and HOMA-IS levels in response to
n-3 PUFA supplementation.
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