Omega-3 fatty acids in adipose tissue of obese patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus reflect long-term dietary intake of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid.

We examined the relationship between long-term dietary intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and the relative content of these fatty acids in adipose tissue triglycerides from 53 obese Dutch subjects--19 men and 34 women--with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Adipose tissue fatty acid profiles analyzed in three samples taken from each subject at 1-y intervals showed no within-subject differences for EPA and DHA. Dietary intake was estimated from 12 3-d dietary records made over 2 y at 2-mo intervals. EPA and DHA intakes showed high within-subject variation. Correlation coefficients (Spearman) between the dietary intake of EPA (% of total fat) and EPA in adipose tissue (% of total fatty acids) were 0.76 for men and 0.57 for women. For DHA these coefficients were 0.75 for men and 0.48 for women. We conclude that the analysis of fatty acids in one adipose tissue biopsy provides information on long-term EPA and DHA intakes in obese subjects with NIDDM, and can replace otherwise necessarily frequent diet analyses over a long period.