Serum cholesteryl fatty acid composition and plasma glucose concentrations in Amerindian women

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus has reached epidemic proportions in women of Amerindian origin. The risk of developing diabetes has been found to be related to the serum fatty acid composition in whites.

Objective: We prospectively investigated the relation between the serum cholesteryl fatty acid composition and changes in fasting plasma glucose concentrations in Peruvian Indian women who are characterized by hyperinsulinemia in comparison to white women.

Design: A 5-y follow-up study of 73 women with normal fasting plasma glucose values was undertaken by performing a survey in 1999 and a follow-up survey in 2004. The studied variables included anthropometric measurements, plasma insulin and leptin, dietary food consumption from 24-h recall, blood pressure, and serum fatty acid composition.

Results: The participants developed significantly higher fasting plasma glucose concentrations in 2004 compared with 1999 (P < 0.0001) with unaltered plasma insulin values. Palmitoleic acid (16:1n-7) in 1999 was the only fatty acid that was significantly correlated to glucose concentration at follow-up. In a multiple regression analysis that included waist circumference, percentage of body fat, systolic blood pressure, and circulating triacylglycerol, insulin, leptin, and 16:1n-7 as independent determinants, 16:1n-7 and systolic blood pressure were the only significant determinants of plasma glucose concentration 5 y later.

Conclusions: A high proportion of 16:1n-7 in serum is an independent predictor of high plasma glucose concentrations in Amerindian women. The reason for this association remains to be elucidated.