title: Pancreatic steatosis and its relationship to β-cell dysfunction in humans: racial and ethnic variations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate racial/ethnic differences in pancreatic triglyceride (TG) levels and their relationship to β-cell dysfunction in humans.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied black, Hispanic, and white adults who completed three research visits: screening and an oral glucose tolerance test; frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance tests for evaluation of β-cell function and insulin resistance; and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy for evaluation of pancreatic and hepatic TG levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pancreatic TG levels were higher in Hispanics and whites than in blacks (P = 0.006). Hepatic TG levels were highest in Hispanics (P = 0.004). Compensatory insulin secretion and disposition index were higher in blacks (P = 0.003 and P = 0.024, respectively). Insulin sensitivity was comparable between Hispanics and blacks and was lower than in whites (P = 0.005). In blacks, compensatory insulin secretion increased steeply with small increments in pancreatic TG levels (R(2) = 0.45, slope = 247). In whites, the range of pancreatic TG levels was higher, and the slope was less steep than in blacks (R(2) = 0.27, slope = 27). In Hispanics, pancreatic TG levels were similar to those of whites, but compensatory insulin secretion was described by a combination of pancreatic and hepatic TG levels and visceral fat mass ( R(2) = 0.32).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a multiethnic sample of adults with mild obesity and without diabetes, we found striking ethnic differences in the levels of pancreatic TGs and in the relationship between pancreatic TGs and β-cell dysfunction. Our data implicate pancreatic TG content measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy as a noninvasive novel biomarker for pancreatic β-cell dysfunction, especially in the Hispanic population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA. lidia.szczepaniak@cshs.org
authors.forename: Lidia S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Szczepaniak
authors.forename: Ronald G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Victor
authors.forename: Ruchi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mathur
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Edward W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Szczepaniak
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tyer
authors.forename: Ida
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Roger H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Unger
authors.forename: Richard N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: Ildiko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lingvay
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism; D010179:Pancreas / Q000473:pathology*; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014280:Triglycerides