ALTERED FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION OF SERUM-LIPIDS IN PATIENTS WITH NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES

Background and Aim: Diabetes may alter fatty acid composition of serum lipids, but studies on non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM) are rar e, and almost no data are available regarding the relationship of fatt y acid composition to lipid and insulin values in diabetes. Methods an d Results: The fatty acid composition of serum triglycerides (TG), cho lesterol esters (CE) and phospholipids (PL) was examined in a well-cha racterized group of 92 patients with NIDDM (48 men and 44 women) after ten years from diagnosis and in 120 non-diabetic control subjects (55 men and 65 women). Also dietary fat intake, anthropometric measuremen ts, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose and insulin level, and lipi d and lopoprotein concentrations were examined In the diabetic patient s the proportions of palmitic acid in TG, CE and PL were significantly higher and that of palmitoleic and arachidonic acids in TG significan tly lower than in the non-diabetic subjects. In the diabetic group bot h fasting plasma insulin and serum triglyceride values correlated posi tively with the proportions of palmitic acid in TG (r=0.30, p=0.007 an d r=0.37, p<0.001, respectively). Interestingly, significant negative correlations were found in both the diabetic and non-diabetic groups b etween the proportion of arachidonic acid in TG and serum triglyceride s (r=-0.36, p=0.002 for diabetic group; r=-O.39, p<0.001 for non-diabe tic group), and between the proportion of arachidonic acid in TG and p lasma insulin (r=-0.37, p=0.001 Sor diabetic group; r=-0.12, p=0.22 fo r non-diabetic group) after adjustment for the effects of age, BMI and fasting plasma glucose, and additionally of plasma insulin in regard of serum triglycerides. Conclusions: Abnormalities in the fatty acid c ontent of serum lipids, suggesting a decrease in Delta 9-desaturase en zyme activity were found in NIDDM patients with a long duration of dis ease Our results also Suggest that a low proportion of arachidonic aci d of serum TG is related to insulin resistance in NIDDM. (C) 1996, Med ikal Press