Chronic inflammation induced by obesity may put at risk the health of retina in people who are suffering from diabetes type 2, the non-insulin-dependent diabetes that may occur in adulthood and is caused, among other factors, by a lack of physical activity and wrong diet habits. Scientists have already hypothesized the protective role on the retina played by fatty acids omega 3 but a new study, published a few days ago in the journal Science Reports belonging to the prestigious Nature group (Dàtilo et al, Sci Rep, Sep 2018), has gone further by demonstrating that the fatty acids omega 3 of flaxseed oil are able to reduce inflammation and retinopathy.
The purpose of the study has been to observe the effects that a diet, in which flax seed oil has introduced, may have on retina in case of obesity and diabetes type 2. A change in diet that is absolutely a real possibility for being used by people and that avoid other sources of omega 3 such as fish oil, that, nowadays, could be contaminated by heavy metals. After 8 weeks of testing the researchers have observed that a high omega 3 diet from flaxseed oil has been able to reduce the inflammatory markers, and thus also inflammation, in retinal tissue and to protect the visual acuity. Moreover, as a consequence a reduction in fasting blood glucose levels and glucose intolerance has been observed.
