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Sex and muscle structural lipids in obese subjects - an impact on insulin action?

Haugaard, S B ; Vaag, Allan LU ; Hoy, C-E and Madsbad, S (2008) In European Journal of Clinical Investigation 38(7). p.494-501
Abstract
Background Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) especially the n-3-FA of skeletal muscle phospholipids may facilitate insulin action, whereas saturated and trans-FA act oppositely. Community studies show that non-diabetic weight matched obese men and women display similar insulin resistance, despite the fact that an android fat distribution is detrimental to insulin action. The increased extramyocellular fat mass of obese women may act in a paracrine manner such that its release of free FA and cytokines may hamper in situ desaturation and elongation of FA in skeletal muscle phospholipids. Material and methods To test the hypothesis that obese women may display an inferior FA composition compared to obese men, the FA composition... (More)
Background Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) especially the n-3-FA of skeletal muscle phospholipids may facilitate insulin action, whereas saturated and trans-FA act oppositely. Community studies show that non-diabetic weight matched obese men and women display similar insulin resistance, despite the fact that an android fat distribution is detrimental to insulin action. The increased extramyocellular fat mass of obese women may act in a paracrine manner such that its release of free FA and cytokines may hamper in situ desaturation and elongation of FA in skeletal muscle phospholipids. Material and methods To test the hypothesis that obese women may display an inferior FA composition compared to obese men, the FA composition of skeletal muscle phospholipids was determined in vastus lateralis biopsies obtained from 12 non-diabetic obese women with a typical gynoid fat distribution, nine non-diabetic obese men with a typical android fat distribution and 12 (seven females) lean age matched healthy controls (body mass index 34.6 +/- 1.0 kg m(-2), 36.5 +/- 1.2 and 22.5 +/- 0.5; age 47 +/- 2 years, 51 +/- 3 and 49 +/- 2). Results Obese women displayed decreased LCPUFA n-3 and ratio of n-3/n-6 PUFA, whereas trans-FA and palmitic-FA (C16 : 0) were increased compared to obese men and controls (all Ps < 0.05). Plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides and a marker of insulin sensitivity were similar between obese women and men but impaired compared to controls (Ps < 0.05). Conclusions The data support the hypothesis that insulin resistant non-diabetic obese men display a more optimal skeletal muscle phospholipid FA composition than their female counterparts, which may be a mechanism to compensate the detrimental effect on insulin action of an android fat distribution. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
structural lipids, skeletal muscle, obesity, insulin resistance, fat distribution, gender
in
European Journal of Clinical Investigation
volume
38
issue
7
pages
494 - 501
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000256686000006
  • scopus:45149127301
  • pmid:18578691
ISSN
0014-2972
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2362.2008.01969.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
17cd44bf-7f15-4fc5-9612-b0b3ccba0286 (old id 1191427)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:05:50
date last changed
2024-01-08 08:13:42
@article{17cd44bf-7f15-4fc5-9612-b0b3ccba0286,
  abstract     = {{Background Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) especially the n-3-FA of skeletal muscle phospholipids may facilitate insulin action, whereas saturated and trans-FA act oppositely. Community studies show that non-diabetic weight matched obese men and women display similar insulin resistance, despite the fact that an android fat distribution is detrimental to insulin action. The increased extramyocellular fat mass of obese women may act in a paracrine manner such that its release of free FA and cytokines may hamper in situ desaturation and elongation of FA in skeletal muscle phospholipids. Material and methods To test the hypothesis that obese women may display an inferior FA composition compared to obese men, the FA composition of skeletal muscle phospholipids was determined in vastus lateralis biopsies obtained from 12 non-diabetic obese women with a typical gynoid fat distribution, nine non-diabetic obese men with a typical android fat distribution and 12 (seven females) lean age matched healthy controls (body mass index 34.6 +/- 1.0 kg m(-2), 36.5 +/- 1.2 and 22.5 +/- 0.5; age 47 +/- 2 years, 51 +/- 3 and 49 +/- 2). Results Obese women displayed decreased LCPUFA n-3 and ratio of n-3/n-6 PUFA, whereas trans-FA and palmitic-FA (C16 : 0) were increased compared to obese men and controls (all Ps &lt; 0.05). Plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides and a marker of insulin sensitivity were similar between obese women and men but impaired compared to controls (Ps &lt; 0.05). Conclusions The data support the hypothesis that insulin resistant non-diabetic obese men display a more optimal skeletal muscle phospholipid FA composition than their female counterparts, which may be a mechanism to compensate the detrimental effect on insulin action of an android fat distribution.}},
  author       = {{Haugaard, S B and Vaag, Allan and Hoy, C-E and Madsbad, S}},
  issn         = {{0014-2972}},
  keywords     = {{structural lipids; skeletal muscle; obesity; insulin resistance; fat distribution; gender}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{494--501}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{European Journal of Clinical Investigation}},
  title        = {{Sex and muscle structural lipids in obese subjects - an impact on insulin action?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2362.2008.01969.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/j.1365-2362.2008.01969.x}},
  volume       = {{38}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}