The association between cooking oil and diabetes risk

Recently, the Zheng Yusheng Task Force of West Lake University published the latest results on the relationship between fat, intestinal bacteria and diabetes (this article refers specific to type 2 diabetes), which reveals the important mediated role of human gut microbiota in the relationship between n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism and diabetes.
is n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids? In fact, this unsaturated fatty acid is no stranger to us and is widely found in our cooking oils, such as sunflower oil and corn oil. Over the past few decades, the global population's intake of n-6 fatty acids has grown rapidly. Some scholars have suggested that the metabolism of n-6 fatty acids is involved in the pathophysiological process of diabetes, but the relationship between them has been controversial.
Based on the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Queue, which includes about 4,000 middle-aged and elderly guangzhou residents (45-75 years old) recruited between 2008 and 2013, the Zheng's team and cooperative team follow up with all participants every three years. After about six years of follow-up, the team collected stool samples from about 2,000 people to sequence and analyze the composition of the gut bacteria. At the same time, the study also collected the population in the baseline and follow-up process of blood, urine and other biological samples, as well as medication, dietary questionnaires and other information to analyze the relationship between n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids of blood biomarkers and diabetes.
team found that, through prospective cohort studies, one of the blood biomarkers of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, γ-flaxic acid, was positively associated with diabetes risk and negatively related to intestinal bacterial diversity. In assessing the risk of diabetes in the future, the levels of dietary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and key markers such as γ-flax acid in the metabolism of n-6 fatty acids should be considered jointly. At the same time, the study also analyzed the relationship between dietary n-6 fatty acids and intestinal bacteria diversity and diabetes: Dietary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are likely to reduce bacterial diversity and increase the risk of diabetes, the results confirm the association between blood metabolites γ-flax acid and bacteria and diabetes.
based on the above conclusions, in Chinese groups, excessive intake of n-6 fatty acids (cooking oil is an important source) is likely to affect gut microbiota outcomes in a bad direction, leading to an increased risk of diabetes. In daily life, people can alternatively consume cooking oils rich in n-3 fatty acids or monounsaturated fatty acids (e.g. rapeseed oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, etc.). Of course, this hypothesis still requires more other population queue studies to verify.
worldwide, the study is the first to link the n-6 fatty acid blood metabolite γ-flax acid to the gut microbiota and diabetes to determine the relationship between n-6 fatty acids and diabetes. There are some differences in metabolic and life characteristics associated with diabetes in Asian populations compared to those in Europe and the United States, but there is no prospective cohort study based on group Chinese to illustrate the relationship between n-6 fatty acid blood biomarkers and diabetes, which also complements the performance characteristics of Chinese groups in this field. (Source: Wen Caifei, China Science Journal)
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