Diabetes
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One important mechanism whereby obesity-associated insulin resistance leads to VLDL overproduction is thought to be by the increased flux of free fatty acids (FFAs) from extrahepatic tissues to liver, which arises as a direct consequence of impaired insulin action in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. The aim of the present study was to address whether direct measures of peripheral tissue insulin sensitivity with regard to FFAs and glucose in the fasting state are good predictors of postabsorptive VLDL triglyceride secretion rate (VLDL-TG ASR) in humans, independent of obesity. Eighteen healthy control subjects, after an overnight fast, underwent three studies 3 weeks apart, in random order. ⋯ The best multivariate model for VLDL-TG ASR (R(2) = 0.61, P = 0.0008) included BMI (P = 0.0008) and S(I) (P = 0.12, inversely correlated). VLDL-TG secretion is predicted by BMI, independently of direct measures of insulin sensitivity. The sensitivity to insulin's acute suppressive effect on plasma FFA levels during fasting is not an important determinant of postabsorptive VLDL-TG secretion in humans.