Consuming the omega-3 fatty acids present in certain kinds of fish could lower the likelihood of acquiring type 1 diabetes in children who are at risk, a study suggested on Wednesday.

Type 1 diabetes is treatable but has no cure, and although its exact cause is unknown it is believed to be influenced by both environmental and genetic factors.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was conducted between 1994 and 2006 and included 1,770 children.

The subjects were at "increased risk for type 1 diabetes, defined as either possession of a high diabetes risk HLA (human leukocyte antigen) or having a sibling or parent with type 1 diabetes." Over the course of an average of 6.2 years, the development of their pancreatic cells which produce insulin were traced in relation to their consumption of omega-3, beginning at age one.

Dietary information was supplied by their parents who filled out a food frequency questionnaire.

"Our study suggests that higher consumption of total omega-3 fatty acids ... is associated with a lower risk of IA (pancreatic islet autoimmunity, or the development of antibodies against the cells that produce insulin) in children at increased genetic risk of type 1 diabetes," the researchers said.

Juvenile diabetes occurs less frequently, with just 10 percent of all cases, than type 2 diabetes which mainly affects adults over age 40, many of whom are obese or overweight.

Fish rich in omega-3 are mackerel, sardines, tuna and salmon.
   
Source: Sapa-AFP