A confusing association between omega-3 and hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, arises out of research evaluating the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on diabetes risk. Diabetes results from high blood sugar, or glucose, levels. The confusion arises because some studies show high omega-3 intake lowers diabetes risk and blood glucose, while others demonstrate that omega-3s can raise glucose in diabetic patients.
Understanding Hypoglycemia
According to the National Institutes of Health, hypoglycemia can occur suddenly. Carbohydrates are the main dietary source of glucose. After eating a meal, your body absorbs glucose into the bloodstream, where insulin helps moves it into cells for energy use and storage. If there is too much insulin or not enough glucose, sugar levels drop and can cause sleepiness, dizziness, weakness and confusion. In most cases, you can treat this quickly by eating or drinking a small amount of glucose-rich food. However, severe hypoglycemia can lead to seizures, coma and even death, so it is important to monitor the symptoms.
Hypoglycemia Types
In most cases, diabetic hypoglycemia is caused by diabetes medication, and dosage adjustments can readily resolve the problem. Of the two types of hypoglycemia diagnosed in non-diabetics, the most common is postprandial hypoglycemia. It occurs within four hours of eating a meal, and is generally managed by eating small meals or snacks every three hours. Fasting hypoglycemia is low blood sugar under fasting conditions, and is usually caused by an underlying disease that requires treatment.
Omega-3 Confusion
The confusion concerning the role of omega-3 fatty acids in hypoglycemia stems from epidemiological studies. These are studies performed on entire populations looking for links between disease and diet. According to researchers reporting in the April 2007 issue of "Diabetes Care," the link between omega-3s and glucose arose in the 1950s after scientists reported Eskimos have low diabetes prevalence and consume large amounts of omega-3s. Subsequent epidemiological studies confirmed that high omega-3 intake dramatically cuts diabetes risk. Clinical studies followed in which intervention trials run on diabetics investigated the effect of omega-3s on their blood sugar levels.
The Final Word
An intervention study is one that studies subjects for the outcome of an intervention. The researchers above reviewed 22 intervention studies in which type 2 diabetics were supplemented with omega-3s. Because of the epidemiological studies, scientists expected omega-3s to lower patients' glucose levels, but the results were conflicting. Some reported higher fasting glucose levels as a result of intervention, a few reported lower levels and others reported no effect. The reviewers concluded that the preponderance of evidence suggests omega-3s have no effect on blood glucose. The National Institutes of Health reports omega-3s likely do not affect glucose.
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