Muscle Lipid Localization Relates to Insulin Sensitivity: Responses to Exercise and Weight Loss Interventions
Authors' conclusion
Overall, subcellular lipid localization was strongly associated with insulin sensitivity yet changed inconsistently following acute and chronic interventions, regardless of metabolic status. These data suggest that more dramatic changes in weight and fitness, and/or interventions longer than 12 weeks may be required to modify muscle subcellular lipids linked to insulin resistance.
Study context
- Population
- Individuals with obesity and normal glucose tolerance or prediabetes/type 2 diabetes, and endurance-trained athletes
- Participants
- 35 / 34 / 20
- Comparison
- 12-week interventions and acute exercise
- Normal glucose tolerance (NGT)n = 35
- pre/T2Dn = 34
- Endurance-trained athletesn = 20
- Outcome
- Association of subcellular muscle lipids with insulin sensitivity
Methodological details12-week lifestyle interventions, acute exercise, targeted lipidomics of fractionated muscle biopsies
- 12-week lifestyle interventions
- Acute exercise
- Targeted lipidomics of fractionated muscle biopsies
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Triacylglycerols were inversely associated with insulin sensitivity across all compartments
- Ceramides showed inverse associations in sarcolemmal, mitochondrial/ER, and nuclear fractions, but a positive association in the cytosol
- DAGs were positively associated with insulin sensitivity in mitochondrial/ER, cytosolic, and nuclear compartments
Further findings
Subcellular lipid distribution after interventions
- Neither lifestyle interventions nor acute exercise substantially altered subcellular lipid distribution
Original publication
Muscle Lipid Localization Relates to Insulin Sensitivity: Responses to Exercise and Weight Loss Interventions. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Published 7 November 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →