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Review
. 2008 Dec;37(4):841-56.
doi: 10.1016/j.ecl.2008.09.002.

Intracellular lipid accumulation in liver and muscle and the insulin resistance syndrome

Cristina Lara-Castro  1 , W Timothy Garvey
Affiliations
Review

Intracellular lipid accumulation in liver and muscle and the insulin resistance syndrome

Cristina Lara-Castro et al. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2008 Dec.

Abstract

This article emphasizes intrahepatocellular and intramyocellular lipid accumulation as components of the insulin resistance syndrome. It examines the mechanisms responsible for the interrelationships among ectopic fat deposition, insulin resistance, and associated metabolic traits. These relationships are complex and vary according to diet, exercise, weight loss, and racial identity. Overall, there is a high degree of association of both intrahepatocellular and intramyocellular lipids with insulin resistance and associated cardiometabolic risk factors. It concludes that further research is necessary to determine the orchestrated roles of adipose and nonadipose tissue compartments in the regulation of insulin sensitivity, and mechanisms explaining racial differences in the insulin resistance syndrome-trait cluster.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Relationships between measures of insulin-stimulated glucose disposal rate (GDR) and general adiposity (body mass index = BMI), panel A; and intramyocellular lipid (IMCL), panel B; and waist circumference, panel C.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Relationships between measures of insulin-stimulated glucose disposal rate (GDR) and general adiposity (body mass index = BMI), panel A; and intramyocellular lipid (IMCL), panel B; and waist circumference, panel C.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percent change in IMCL (top panel) and GDR (bottom panel) in non-diabetic and type 2 diabetic subjects after short-term very-low calorie diet. Intramyocellular lipid was assessed in the soleus muscle of each individual using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and GDR was assessed using the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp technique. *P < .05, significantly different from baseline values. From Lara-Castro et al. Metabolism 2008, with permission [38].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relationships between intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) and insulin stimulated glucose disposal rate (GDR), panel A, and body mass index (BMI), panel B, in African-American (AA, filled circles) and European-American (EA, empty circles).
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