Sex differences in the association between the eicosapentaenoic acid/arachidonic acid ratio and the visceral fat area among patients with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Objective To examine the serum levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and the ratios of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and the EPA/arachidonic acid (AA) and DHA/AA and to clarify their association with the areas of subcutaneous and visceral fat separately by sex among patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods The study participants included 118 men and 96 women who were hospitalized to receive treatment for type 2 diabetes. We examined the serum levels of EPA and DHA and the ratios of EPA/AA and DHA/AA, and analyzed their association with the total fat area (TFA), subcutaneous fat area (SFA), and visceral fat area (VFA), as measured by computed tomography. Results The mean age of the study participants was 62.6±13.6 years. The mean HbA1c level was 9.37± 2.27%. Among men, a multivariate regression analysis adjusted for age and BMI, revealed a significant negative association between VFA and the EPA/AA ratio. When the multivariate regression analysis was adjusted for age, BMI, and HbA1c level, VFA was still found to be significantly negatively associated with the EPA/ AA ratio. Although a crude analysis revealed a significant negative association between SFA and the EPA/ AA ratio in women, no association was observed in multivariate regression analyses. Conclusion These results suggest the possibility that EPA inhibits the accumulation of visceral fat in men. Furthermore, there appear to be marked differences in the relationships between EPA and DHA and visceral fat accumulation.