Kinetics of Free Fatty Acids in Hypertriglyceridemia: Evidence for Different Types of Insulin Resistance
Abstract
The plasma free fatty acid (FFA) concentration i5 elcvatcd in type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and hypertrigly~eridemia. The magnitude of this abnormality is correlated with the degree of rcsistance to insulin-stimulated glucose uptake.
Plasma levels of FFA reflect the lipolytic activity within adipocytes, activity of lipoprotein lipase, and the uptakc and reesterification of FFA. These processes are affected by insulin and other hormnes.
In contrast to FFA, glyccrol released by lipolysis in adipose tissue cannot be rcesterified, and it is this difference that makes its release a marker for in vitro studies of adipocyte lipolytic activity. It is utilized in the livcr.
We invcstigated the possibility of using the measurement of FFA and glycerol kinetics during the frequcntly sampled intravcnous glucose tolerance test (FSIGT) to demon- strate differences between hypertriglyceridemic diabetic subjects, hypcrtriglyceride- mie nondiabetic subjects, and healthy persons.