Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. Unlike type 2 diabetes, which is primarily a disease of older people, type 1 diabetes usually begins in childhood. Both types of diabetes can cause renal failure. The best way to prevent this is to get good control of your blood sugar levels. If these prevention efforts fail, preliminary studies suggest that oils containing omega-3 fatty acids may help in the early stages of kidney disease.
About Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an immune disorder in which the body's immune system attacks beta cells in the pancreas. In healthy people, beta cells produce insulin, which helps metabolize glucose. Since patients with type 1 diabetes have few beta cells, they cannot produce insulin, so blood sugar begins to rise. High blood sugar causes serious damage to all organ systems. People with type 1 diabetes measure their blood sugar and give themselves insulin to control this problem.
Renal Failure
If blood sugar is not brought under control, the patient is at high risk of chronic kidney disease. If the kidneys are damaged, the resulting renal disease can take on a life of its own, as compromised kidneys have to work harder to filter blood. If the kidneys become so compromised they can no longer sustain life, doctors say the patient has reached end-stage kidney disease, or ESKD. ESKD is synonymous with renal failure. According to the 2010 Annual Report of the U.S. Renal Data System, 546,878 people went into ESKD between 2004 and 2005. Although diabetes was the leading cause of renal failure, only 22,170 people had type 1 diabetes.
Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Ever since the August 1999 report in the "Journal American Society Nephrology" that fish oil slowed the progression of a kidney disease called IgA nephropathy, researchers have investigated the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on kidney diseases. While research in this area yields inconsistent results, many good studies, such as one appearing in the October 2010 "American Journal of Kidney Disease," suggest that "early and prolonged treatment with fish oil slows renal progression for high-risk patients with IgA nephropathy." While such studies do not speak to type 1 diabetes, they do suggest that the effect might extend to other chronic kidney diseases.
Considerations
Although flax seed oil and other products contain omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil is a natural choice because it contains more omega-3s than any other source. This is important because positive results in studies were achieved by patients who took very high doses of omega-3s. You should not take fish oil without consulting your doctor first; this treatment is not for everyone.
References
- USRDS Annual Data Report 2010; Incidence of Reported ESRD, by Primary Diagnosis, 2004--2008 Combined
- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation: FAQs
- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation: What is Diabetes?
- "Renal Failure" Protective Effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid against Cyclosporine A-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Rats: A Possible Mechanism of Action; A.D. Mariee, et al.; 2011
- "American Journal of Kidney Disease"; Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in the Treatment of Kidney Disease; R.G. Fassett, et al.; October 2010
- "Diabetes Medicine"; Fish-oil Supplement Has Neutral Effects on Vascular and Metabolic Function but Improves Renal Function in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus; C.Y. Wong et al.; January 2010
