Ps. Maclean et al., Impact of insulin resistance on lipoprotein subpopulation distribution in lean and morbidly obese nondiabetic women, METABOLISM, 49(3), 2000, pp. 285-292
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of insulin resistance
on the lipoprotein subpopulation distribution of very-low-density, low-dens
ity, and high-density lipoproteins (VLDL, LDL, and HDL) in lean and morbidl
y obese nondiabetic women. Lean women (body mass index [BMI], 20 to 27 kg/m
(2)) stratified by BMI were divided into insulin-sensitive (SL, n = 12) and
insulin-resistant (RL, n = 8) groups according to Bergman's minimal model,
SI. A group of obese women (BMI, 30 to 53 kg/m(2)), also stratified by BMI
, were divided into insulin-sensitive (SO, n = 10) and insulin-resistant (R
O, n = 11) groups in a similar fashion, Resistant groups were similar to se
nsitive groups (SL v RL and SO v RO) in age, weight, percent body fat, and
waist circumference, ie, total and regional adiposity. VLDL, LDL, and HDL s
ubpopulation distributions were determined in fasting plasma samples by nuc
lear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The average particle sizes of a
ll 3 classes of lipoproteins were similar for the SL and RL groups. In cont
rast, RO subjects had larger VLDL, smaller LDL, and smaller HDL, than SO su
bjects (P < .05), Lower concentrations of large LDL and large HDL were foun
d in RO compared with SO subjects (P < .05), In obese women, but not in lea
n women, VLDL size was associated with plasma insulin (r = .60, P < .005),
while LDL size and HDL size were negatively correlated with plasma insulin
(r = -.39, P < .05 and r = -.38, P < .05) and positively correlated with SI
(r = .54, P < .01 and r = .42, P < .05). These results suggest that in obe
se women, insulin resistance may be involved in the formation of lipoprotei
n subpopulation distributions that are associated with vascular disease. Co
pyright (C) 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.