Abstract
Obesity leads to several chronic morbidities including type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, and hypertension, which are major components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Low-grade inflammation has been identified as a key factor in the development of MetS features affecting obese subjects. Several studies have proposed beneficial effects of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) for the prevention and amelioration of MetS features. In this chapter, we will focus on reviewing randomized, controlled trials that evaluate the effects of supplementation with marine-derived EPA and DHA on weight loss, insulin sensitivity, lipid metabolism, blood pressure, and inflammation in overweight/obese subjects with MetS characteristics. Supplementation with n-3 PUFAs may be an interesting therapy to reduce hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension, while the ability of n-3 PUFAs to promote weight loss, insulin sensitivity, and changes in cholesterol metabolism in patients with MetS remains controversial. The role of n-3 PUFAs-derived proresolving lipid mediators such as resolvins, protectins, and maresins in MetS is also discussed.
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Abbreviations
- AUC:
-
Area under curve
- CAVI:
-
Cardio-ankle vascular index
- CETP:
-
Cholesteryl ester transfer protein
- CVD:
-
Cardiovascular disease
- DHA:
-
Docosahexaenoic acid
- DBP:
-
Diastolic blood pressure
- EPA:
-
Eicosapentaenoic acid
- EE:
-
Ethyl ester
- FBI:
-
Fasting blood insulin
- FBG:
-
Fasting blood glucose
- FFA:
-
Free fatty acids
- FMD:
-
Flow-mediated dilatation
- HbA1c:
-
Glycosylated hemoglobin
- HDL:
-
High-density lipoprotein
- ICAM-1:
-
intracellular adhesion molecule 1
- IDL:
-
Intermediate-density lipoprotein
- IL:
-
Interleukin
- LDL:
-
Low-density lipoprotein
- sdLDL:
-
Small-density LDL
- PWV:
-
Pulse wave velocity
- MetS:
-
Metabolic syndrome
- n-3 PUFAs:
-
Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
- RLP:
-
Remnant lipoprotein particle
- SBP:
-
Systolic blood pressure
- TG:
-
Triglycerides
- TNF-α:
-
Tumor necrosis factor-α
- TNFR:
-
Tumor necrosis factor receptor
- TRL:
-
Triglyceride rich lipoprotein
- VCAM-1:
-
Vascular cell adhesion molecule 1
- VLDL:
-
Very-low-density lipoprotein
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Huerta, A.E., Laiglesia, L.M., MartÃnez-Fernández, L., Moreno-Aliaga, M.J. (2016). Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Metabolic Syndrome. In: Hegde, M., Zanwar, A., Adekar, S. (eds) Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40458-5_14
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