Circulating palmitoleate strongly and independently predicts insulin sensitivity in humans.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether palmitoleate, which prevents insulin resistance in mice, predicts insulin sensitivity in humans.


METHODS
The fasting fatty acid pattern in the plasma free fatty acid (FFA) fraction was determined in 100 subjects at increased risk for type 2 diabetes. Insulin sensitivity was estimated during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at baseline and after 9 months of lifestyle intervention and measured during the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp (n = 79).


RESULTS
Circulating palmitoleate (OGTT:F ratio = 8.2, P = 0.005; clamp:F ratio = 7.8, P = 0.007) but not total FFAs (OGTT:F ratio = 0.6, P = 0.42; clamp:F ratio = 0.7, P = 0.40) correlated positively with insulin sensitivity, independently of age, sex, and adiposity. High baseline palmitoleate predicted a larger increase in insulin sensitivity. For 1-SD increase in palmitoleate, the odds ratio for being in the highest versus the lowest tertile of adjusted change in insulin sensitivity was 2.35 (95% CI 1.16-5.35).


CONCLUSIONS
Circulating palmitoleate strongly and independently predicts insulin sensitivity, suggesting that it plays an important role in the pathophysiology of insulin resistance in humans.
Stefan
Norbert
N
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology, Vascular Medicine, Nephrology and Clinical Chemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. norbert.stefan@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Kantartzis
Konstantinos
K
Celebi
Nora
N
Staiger
Harald
H
Machann
Jürgen
J
Schick
Fritz
F
Cegan
Alexander
A
Elcnerova
Michaela
M
Schleicher
Erwin
E
Fritsche
Andreas
A
Häring
Hans-Ulrich
HU
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000818:Animals; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood*; D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated / Q000097:blood*; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D015309:Glucose Clamp Technique; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D006946:Hyperinsulinism; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013177:Sports; D014781:Viscera / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D044465:White People
D005227:Fatty Acids; D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; C008757:palmitoleic acid