One nutrient every type 2 diabetic MUST have daily

Fat in the Fire

These days, the average guy on the street knows at least a little something about omega-3 fatty acids. He may not know exactly what they are, but he’s probably heard about them, he probably knows they’re good for him, and he probably knows that fish is the best source.

What he’s less likely to know is that omega-3s are critically important nutrients for people with type 2 diabetes.

How important? Put it this way…

Any doctor who simply prescribes Avandia or Actos or any other type 2 diabetes medication without also recommending omega-3 supplementation is doing their patients a serious disservice.

The junkman cometh

Your cells love omega-3 fatty acids.

Feed your cells EPA and DHA (the two most important omega- 3s) and you’re much more likely to have healthy cell membranes that efficiently manage insulin. And for a diabetic, insulin management is everything.

But for many type 2 diabetics, body fat is the undoing of insulin management.

Obese fat tissue contains an abundance of macrophages–a type of white blood cell that fights off viruses, bacteria, and other junk that has to be removed from your cells.

But this is a classic case of too much of a good thing. The macrophages do their work by producing proteins that burn off the junk with inflammation. But too much body fat creates a flood of those proteins, which help promote insulin resistance. Chronic inflammation just makes the situation worse.

Recently, researchers at the University of California identified an important macrophage receptor in cells. They found that when the receptor is activated, excessive inflammation is reduced and insulin sensitivity improves.

And what switches on the receptor?

You know it: EPA and DHA.

As an added bonus, omega-3 might also help get rid of fat that causes these problems in the first place.

In a 2007 study, subjects with type 2 diabetes were given a placebo or a daily fish oil supplement containing two grams of omega-3 fatty acids. Within two months, subjects in the fish oil group had a significant drop in total fat mass. The size of fat cells just below the skin’s surface decreased in size as well.

One final and very important note (which I’ve mentioned before, but can’t mention enough): Omega-3s are polyunsaturated fatty acids, so they promote free-radical formation. As Dr. Spreen has noted, that threat is easily taken care of with a daily vitamin E supplement–400 IU, ideally with mixed tocopherols.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

Sources:
“GPR120 Is an Omega-3 Fatty Acid Receptor Mediating Potent Anti-inflammatory and Insulin-Sensitizing Effects” Cell, Vol. 142, No. 5, 9/3/10, cell.com
“Unusual Foreign Bodies Removed From Patients” Sermo, 8/3/10, sermo.com