Plasma Triglyceride and Fatty Acid Metabolism in Diabetes mellitus

Abstract. Free fatty acid and triglyceride metabolism was studied in diet-responsive and insulin-dependent diabetics and in non-diabetic obese patients before and during treatment. Free fatty acid turnover was elevated in diabetics and in most obese patients, and was decreased by diabetic control; it showed no significant change in the obese patients during caloric restriction. Plasma triglyceride levels exceeded 160 mg/100 ml in 20 of the 34 diabetics, and gross lipaemia occurred both in insulin-requiring and diet-responsive patients. The fractional turnover of injected triglyceride was low in 20 of 33 measurements on untreated diabetics, and was negatively correlated with endogenous triglyceride levels. The fractional turnover increased significantly during diabetic control. These findings are compatible with the view that diabetic hypertrigly ceridaemia may be due in part to impaired removal of triglyceride from plasma.