TOPLINE:
Higher levels of some serum medium-chain fatty acids found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and milk products are associated with a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). This inverse relationship is more pronounced in individuals with a high genetic risk or physical inactivity.
METHODOLOGY:
- Studies reporting a link between dietary medium-chain fatty acids and a reduced risk for T2D have been based on food intake questionnaires, but serum samples are likely to be a more precise and objective basis for understanding metabolic relationships.
- To assess the association between medium-chain fatty acids and T2D risk, the researchers conducted a nested case-control study within the prospective China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort Study.
- They included 1707 individuals who developed diabetes during a median follow-up of 3.03 years and added a propensity-matched normoglycemic control group for a total of 3414 individuals (mean age, 57.56 years; 59.4% women), all with normal glucose regulation at baseline.
- Researchers investigated associations of baseline levels of five serum medium-chain fatty acids — octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid, undecanoic acid, and lauric acid — between individuals with T2D and control participants and stratified by risk factors, including diabetes genetic susceptibility.
- The genetic risk scores were calculated as a weighted sum of 86 T2D-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms.
TAKEAWAY:
- In an inverse association, each standard deviation increase in the baseline serum levels of octanoic acid and nonanoic acid decreased the odds of T2D by 10% and 16%, respectively (odds ratio [OR], 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82-0.98 and OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.74-0.95, respectively; all P < .05).
- , with significant interactions observed for octanoic, nonanoic, and decanoic acids (P for interaction = .042, .034, and .037, respectively).
- Moreover, the negative relationship between octanoic acid and the risk for diabetes was stronger in those with a high genetic risk, with a significant interaction (P for interaction = .003).
- No significant associations were observed between the levels of decanoic, undecanoic, and lauric acids and the overall risk for incident diabetes.
IN PRACTICE:
“Our findings generally support the protective effect of MCFAs [medium-chain fatty acids] but also emphasize the personalized approaches in improving serum MCFA profiles for T2D prevention, which could be tailored according to individuals’ genetic and lifestyle profiles,” the authors wrote.
SOURCE:
The study was led by Xiaojing Jia, MD, and Hong Lin, PhD, of the Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. It was published online in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
LIMITATIONS:
The study’s follow-up duration of 3 years was short, which may have compromised the statistical power of the analysis. The long-term effects of medium-chain fatty acids on the risk for diabetes may not be captured as they were assessed only at baseline. The study population was limited to Chinese adults older than 40 years, which may affect the generalizability of the findings to other ethnicities and age groups.
DISCLOSURES:
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.