Combining Omega-3 and Plant Sterols May Help Blood Sugar and Fat Levels in Prediabetes
This 12-week clinical trial tested whether combining omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil providing EPA and DHA) with plant sterols could help people with impaired glucose regulation, a prediabetes condition, more than either supplement alone. Two hundred adults were randomly assigned to one of four groups: a combination of both supplements, omega-3 alone, plant sterols alone, or a placebo.
Compared to placebo, the combination group showed improvements in triglycerides, fasting blood sugar, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and HbA1c. The omega-3-only group also showed reduced waistline, triglycerides, fasting blood sugar, insulin resistance, and a marker of inflammation (Hs-CRP). Plant sterols alone mainly lowered triglycerides and the inflammation marker.
None of the interventions significantly changed body weight, BMI, blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, or the inflammatory marker IL-6.
What this means for you
For adults with prediabetes-range blood sugar, this study suggests that omega-3 fatty acids and plant sterols—individually or combined—may support healthier blood sugar and triglyceride levels, though they did not affect every marker measured, and this was one study conducted in a specific population.
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Lipids in Health and Disease · 2019-05-01 · DOI: 10.1186/s12944-019-1048-x
Read the original source ↗This summary is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always talk to your healthcare provider before making changes to your supplement routine.