Abstract

Aging diminishes hormone secretion and target cell responsiveness, possibly due to loss of cell membrane fluidity or alteration of membrane phospholipids affecting signal transduction. We investigated whether a high omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid diet would improve endocrine function in 6 men and 6 women aged over 60 years. Subjects first ate an isocaloric control diet for 6 weeks, followed by an 8-week experimental diet, which included 720 g of fatty fish weekly plus 15 ml of sardine oil daily. In the last week, we measured RBC membrane fatty acids on each diet, performed pituitary, adrenal, hepatic, and Leydig cell endocrine provocative testing, and assayed selected cytokines. We also assessed insulin sensitivity utilizing octreotide insulin suppression testing and assessed free fatty acid (FFA) responses to isoproteronol. Insulin sensitivity increased significantly after 8 weeks on the omega-3 diet and FFA responses trended lower. Serum C-reactive protein was significantly reduced and a trend towards lower IL-6 was noted. No differences were found in other metabolic parameters, adiponectin levels, or hormone responses. We conclude that, in older people, high omega-3 consumption increases insulin sensitivity, may reduce FFA mobilization by catecholamines, and reduces inflammatory markers, but did not alter endocrine responsiveness after 8 weeks.