Aim: Elevated saturated fatty acid (SFA) and decreased polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels, especially n-3 PUFAs levels are important in the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome, but there are few accounts of the relationship between fatty acid composition and diabetic kidney disease. We investigated whether serum fatty acid composition, especially SFA and PUFA, are associated with urine albumin excretion (UAE) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in obese type 2 diabetic patients.

Research Design and Method: The subjects were 85 patients (age: 60.3±13.9 years old, 47 male and 38 female) who were not taking EPA agents. They were divided into two groups, i.e., Obese group (n=54) with a BMI of more than 25 kg/m2 and non-Obese group (n=31) with a BMI below 25 kg/m2. Serum levels of fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography.

Results: In the Obese group, the serum levels of palmitic acids and stearic acids, which belong to SFA, and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA), which is an n-6 PUFA, were significantly higher than those in the non-Obese group. No significant differences were seen in the serum levels of n-3 PUFA. UAE in the Obese group was 218.8±88.9 mg/gCr, which tended to be higher than that in the non-Obese group (135.9±49.0 mg/gCr), but there were no significant differences in eGFR between the two groups. The serum levels of palmitic acids, stearic acids, and DGLA showed significant positive correlations with UAE and eGFR in the Obese group, while no significant correlation was seen in the non-Obese group. Palmitic acids and DGLA were correlated with serum adiponectin and leptin levels.

Conclusion: These results suggest that an excessive lipid intake may play an important role in the development of not only obesity but also diabetic kidney disease. The high levels of blood SFA and n-6 PUFA might contribute to the diabetic kidney disease progression via hyperfiltration and inflammatory effects in type 2 diabetes patients with obesity.

Disclosure

M. Kawai: None. R. Eto: None. F. Ayako: None. G. Sato: None. M. Hijikata: None. K. Yamashita: None. T. Ichijo: None. M. Higa: None.

Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered. More information is available at http://www.diabetesjournals.org/content/license.