PILOT-STUDY ON PLASMA FATTY-ACIDS IN POORLY CONTROLLED NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETIC MELANESIANS

Different data have been reported with respect to the distribution of plasma and tissue fatty acids in patients with diabetes mellitus and s ome studies have suggested that severe diabetes is required to produce the fatty acid abnormalities observed in the diabetic rat, We studied the plasma fatty acid profile with particular attention to the omega 3 and a fatty acids in 14 non insulin dependent (NIDDM) diabetic Melan esians, majority of whom were poorly controlled (mean glycosylated hae moglobin levels of 12.8%), their mean age was 43.0+/-6.3 with disease duration of 5.2+/-4.8 years, Plasma fatty acids were estimated by gas chromatography(GC) using a flame ionisation detector (FID), Each diabe tic was age and sex matched with a non diabetic healthy control, Thoug h the plasma concentrations of arachidonic (20:4, omega-6), eicosapent anoic (20:5 omega-3) and docosahaxaenoic (22:6 omega-3) acids were low er than in control subjects, these values were of no significant diffe rence, Similarly, no significant differences were observed between the total plasma saturated fatty acids (palmitic and stearic acids) of di abetic and control subjects. The result of this pilot study suggest th at poor metabolic control may not be associated with plasma fatty acid abnormalities in NIDDM patients.