Individuals who consume foods rich in linoleic acid (LA) may have a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study published in Diabetes Care.

Judie Bizzozero, Content Director

July 18, 2019

1 Min Read
linoleic acid cuts diabetes risk

Linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid (PUFA) found in nuts, seeds and most plant oils including soybean, canola and flaxseed, is one of two essential fatty acids (EFAs) humans must obtain through diet. The findings suggest swapping saturated fats, trans fats or carbohydrates for linoleic acid is inversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes.

For the study, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in China used data from 83,648 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS; 1980-2012), 88,610 women from NHSII (1991-2013), and 41,771 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2012) to examine the association between intakes of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and type 2 diabetes risk. There were 18,442 type 2 diabetes cases during 4.93 million person-years of follow-up.

The researchers found dietary n-6 PUFAs accounted for an average of 4.4 to 6.8% of total energy and consisted primarily of linoleic acid (at least 98%). When extreme n-6 PUFA quintiles (highest versus lowest) were compared in multivariate-adjusted models, the hazard ratio for type 2 diabetes risk was 0.91 for total n-6 PUFAs and 0.92 for linoleic acid. In a model allowing for isocaloric substitution, type 2 diabetes risk was 14% lower when linoleic acid isocalorically replaced saturated fats (5% of energy), 17% lower when substituting for trans fats (2% energy), and 9% lower when substituting for carbohydrates (5% energy). There was no impact on diabetes risk when n-3 PUFAs or monounsaturated fats were replaced with linoleic acid.

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About the Author(s)

Judie Bizzozero

Content Director, Informa Markets Health & Nutrition

Judie Bizzozero oversees food and beverage content strategy and development for the Health & Nutrition group at Informa Markets (which acquired VIRGO in 2014), including the Food & Beverage Insider, Natural Products Insider and SupplySide/Food ingredients North America brands. She reports on market trends, science-based ingredients, and challenges and solutions in the development of healthy foods and beverages. Bizzozero graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

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