Plasma phospholipid EPA and DHA are divergently associated with overall mortality in newly diagnosed diabetic patients: results from a follow-up of the Nord-Trøndelag Health (HUNT) Study, Norway.

Data concerning the long-term effects of n-3 and n-6 PUFA on disease control and development of complications in diabetic patients are inconsistent. The relationship between plasma phospholipid PUFA and total mortality in type 2 diabetes is unknown. The present study aims to investigate the association between plasma phospholipid fatty acid relative concentrations expressed as weight percentage and total mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. Mortality rates were evaluated at 5, 10, 15 and 20 years in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes (n 323) and matched non-diabetic controls (n 200) recruited from the Nord-Trøndelag Health (HUNT) Study, Norway. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed and Cox regression analysis was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) adjusted for biochemical and clinical covariates. After 10 years of follow-up, EPA in the diabetic population was negatively associated with total mortality, with an HR at the fifth quintile of 0·47 (95 % CI 0·25, 0·90) compared with the first quintile. In contrast, DHA was positively associated with total mortality, with an HR at the fifth quintile of 2·87 (95 % CI 1·45, 5·66). Neither EPA nor DHA was associated with total mortality in matched non-diabetic controls. In conclusion, plasma phospholipid relative concentrations of EPA were negatively associated, while those of DHA were positively associated with total mortality in diabetics. This difference in associations suggests a differential effect of EPA and DHA in patients with type 2 diabetes.