Through research and analysis of biological samples such as feces, blood, urine, etc., scientists found that -

Excessive consumption of corn oil may increase the risk of diabetes

  Our reporter Liu Yuanyuan

  With the increasing incidence of diabetes worldwide, it is the goal of scientists to find key and effective preventive factors. During the onset of diabetes, diet, as one of the key factors, has been concerned by scientists for a long time.

  The reporter learned from West Lake University that Zheng Jusheng’s research team recently published the latest update on the relationship between fat, intestinal flora and diabetes (this article specifically refers to type 2 diabetes) in the international journal Diabetes Care in the field of diabetes. Results. Studies have revealed that the human intestinal flora plays an important mediating role in the relationship between n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism and diabetes; dietary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are likely to reduce the diversity of the flora and increase diabetes patients Disease risk.

  The first unit of the paper is the West Lake Laboratory, one of the laboratory’s goals is metabolism and aging diseases.

  A more common polyunsaturated fatty acid

  Dr. Zheng Jusheng has long been engaged in population research on lipid nutrition and metabolism. Not long ago, he joined more than 40 nutritionists in Europe to prove that more fruits and vegetables are beneficial to prevent diabetes. In the research on diabetes published in Diabetes Care, Zheng Jusheng’s team focused on the relationship between fat and diabetes.

  According to reports, human intestinal flora is considered to be closely related to metabolic diseases such as diabetes, but few people have explored the role of human intestinal flora in the relationship between polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism and diabetes. Zheng Jusheng’s team and collaborators conducted in-depth research on the relationship between dietary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and its blood biomarkers and diabetes, as well as the role of intestinal flora in it.

  What are n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids?

  The research team explained that although its name sounds unfamiliar, in fact, we often have the opportunity to come into contact with this unsaturated fatty acid in our daily lives-it is widely found in edible oils, such as sunflower oil and corn oil . In the past few decades, the intake of n-6 fatty acids in the global population has shown a rapid increase.

  Therefore, among dietary factors, the relationship between n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and human health has become a hot issue for scientists. Some scholars have proposed that the metabolism of n-6 fatty acids is involved in the pathophysiological process of diabetes, but the relationship between them has always been controversial.

  Zheng Jusheng's team and the cooperative team recruited about 4,000 middle-aged and elderly residents (45-75 years old) in Guangzhou from 2008 to 2013, and followed up with these recruits every 3 years. After about 6 years of follow-up, the team collected stool samples from about 2,000 people, and then sequenced and analyzed the composition of the intestinal flora.

  At the same time, the study also collected blood, urine and other biological samples, medication, diet questionnaires and other information of the population during the baseline and follow-up process to analyze the relationship between n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid blood biomarkers and diabetes. relationship.

  Edible oil intake may affect the intestinal flora

  Through a sample survey of about 2,000 people, the research team found that after a prospective cohort study, γ-linolenic acid, one of the blood biomarkers of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, is positively correlated with the risk of diabetes and has a positive correlation with the intestinal The diversity of flora was negatively correlated. When assessing the risk of diabetes in the future, the level of dietary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and key markers in the metabolism of n-6 fatty acids, such as γ-linolenic acid, should be considered together.

  At the same time, the study also found the relationship between dietary n-6 fatty acids and the diversity of intestinal flora and diabetes: dietary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are likely to reduce the diversity of flora and increase the risk of diabetes. This result The side confirmed the association of its blood metabolite γ-linolenic acid with flora and diabetes.

  Based on the above conclusions, the research team believes that in the Chinese population, excessive intake of n-6 fatty acids (edible oil is an important source) is likely to affect the results of intestinal flora in a bad direction, leading to the risk of diabetes. Promote. In daily life, people can alternatively consume edible oils rich in n-3 fatty acids or monounsaturated fatty acids (such as rapeseed oil, olive oil, linseed oil, etc.). However, experts suggest that this hypothesis needs more cohort studies in other populations to verify it.

  According to the research team, this study is the first to link n-6 fatty acid blood metabolite γ-linolenic acid with intestinal flora and diabetes to determine the relationship between n-6 fatty acids and diabetes. Compared with European and American populations, Asian populations have some differences in diabetes-related metabolism and life characteristics. However, there is currently no prospective cohort study based on Chinese populations to illustrate the relationship between n-6 fatty acid blood biomarkers and diabetes, Zheng Ju This study by the Saint Research Group also supplements the performance characteristics of the Chinese population in this field.