Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Intake and Islet Autoimmunity in Children at Increased Risk for Type 1 Diabetes.

This article presents the preliminary findings of study to see if intakes of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are related to the development of islet autoimmunity (IA) in children. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the beta cells in the pancreatic islets are destroyed. It is not yet know what causes this to happen but both genetics and diet have been suspected. A study in Norway found that children with diabetes were less likely to have been given cod liver oil in infancy than children without diabetes. This study chose to test two of the ingredients in cod liver oil to see if they might be the protective source. They found that dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids is associated with a reduced risk of IA in children with increased genetic risk.