Author(s)

Yuko Iwase, Noriyasu Kamei, Mariko Takeda-Morishita^*

Laboratory of Drug Delivery Systems, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kobe Gakuin University, Kobe, Japan.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is chronic disease characterized by hyperglycemia and insulin resistance caused by dysfunction of pancreatic β cells. Over the past few decades, epidemiological studies have suggested that dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid decrease the risk of metabolic diseases including DM. The mechanisms underlying the therapeutic efficacy of dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in treating DM have been partly revealed. In this review, the authors describe the antidiabetic effects of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and also discuss their possibilities as therapeutics for DM in the light of recent findings.

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Diabetes, Insulin Secretion, Docosahexaenoic Acid

Iwase, Y. , Kamei, N. and Takeda-Morishita, M. (2015) Antidiabetic Effects of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: From Mechanism to Therapeutic Possibilities. Pharmacology & Pharmacy, 6, 190-200. doi: 10.4236/pp.2015.63020.