Study suggests omega-3 in mothers' diets may lower children's risk of type 1 diabetes

There are vegetable sources of omega 3s, like flax seed meal.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/d-sso050317.php

Public Release: 4-May-2017
Study suggests omega-3 in mothers' diets may lower children's risk of type 1 diabetes
Diabetologia

New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]) suggests that omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), derived primarily from fish in maternal diet during pregnancy or lactation, may help protect infants at high risk of type 1 diabetes (T1D) from developing the disease.

If confirmed, this could mean that increasing the intake of fish-derived fatty acids and the duration of breastfeeding may have beneficial effects by reducing the autoimmune responses that lead to T1D.

More than 20 million people worldwide are affected by T1D -- an autoimmune disease in which the immune system turns on the body and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. The subclinical disease process can be detected in asymptomatic individuals by identifying autoantibodies that develop in infancy or early childhood. Fatty acids have been shown to alter the immune system and inflammatory reactions and may play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes-related autoimmunity. However, evidence to date has been inconclusive.

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Results showed that high serum levels of fish-derived fatty acids (docosahexaenoic acid; DHA and docosapentaenoic acid; DPA) were associated with lower risk of early (insulin) autoimmunity. However, high serum levels of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and high ratios of arachidonic acid (AA):DHA and omega 6:omega 3 PUFA were linked to higher risk.

The researchers also found that fatty acid status in infants strongly reflected the type of milk feeding. Breastfed infants had higher serum levels of fatty acids (e.g., pentadecanoic, palmitic, DPA, and DHA) associated with lower risk of type 1 diabetes-related autoimmunity compared to non-breastfed infants. Quantity of breast milk consumed further reduced the risk, whereas the amount of cow's milk-based formula was associated with higher risk of developing earlier (insulin) autoimmunity.

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The results point to new directions for tackling type 1 diabetes. But the authors caution that an association does not imply causality, and they say that more studies are needed to confirm whether fatty acids can protect children from autoimmune responses that can trigger type 1 diabetes. However, they add, "[Our] findings support the view that breastfeeding, or some components of breast milk, including fatty acids, are protective, particularly with early autoimmunity...[and] that long-chain omega-3 status during the early months, at a time when the immune system is maturing and being programmed, is critical."