The Study
In vivo 2H2O administration reveals impaired triglyceride storage in adipose tissue of insulin-resistant humans1
This study looked at two groups of people—one with insulin resistance and one without—and found that their fat cells handled fat differently. But it didn’t change anything or assign people randomly, so we can’t say one thing caused the other—just that they were linked.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
When people are insulin resistant, their fat cells under the skin can't turn sugar into fat as well as others, so fat builds up in the blood instead.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — this means their bodies can't safely store excess sugar as fat in the right place, leading to more fat in the blood, which can cause insulin resistance and metabolic problems.
- 2Insulin-resistant people had 2.5 times more free fatty acids in their blood during insulin suppression.
- 3Their fat cells made less triglyceride and less new fat from sugar, but had the same number of fat cells.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Lipid Research
Year
2015
Authors
Candice Allister, Li-fen Liu, C. Lamendola, Colleen M. Craig, S. Cushman, M. Hellerstein, T. McLaughlin
Related Content
Claims (3)
In adults who are not diabetic but have moderate obesity, higher insulin resistance is linked to 2.5 times more free fatty acids in the blood when insulin is trying to stop fat breakdown, showing that insulin is less effective at suppressing fat release from fat tissue.
In moderately obese adults without diabetes, the production of fat molecules in fat tissue under the skin is directly linked to the creation of new fat molecules from scratch, but not to an increase in the number of fat cells.
In moderately obese adults without diabetes, those with insulin resistance have reduced fat storage activity in their subcutaneous fat tissue compared to those without insulin resistance, while fat cell numbers remain the same, leading to higher levels of free fatty acids in the blood.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.