Hormonal
Specific lipid metabolites, Diacylglycerols (DAGs) and Ceramides, are inversely associated with insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial capacity, suggesting they are the primary drivers of insulin resistance rather than total intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) content.
Your body's ability to handle sugar depends less on how much total fat is stored in your muscles and more on specific toxic fat byproducts called ceramides and DAGs. These toxic lipids build up when you are sedentary or diabetic, blocking insulin signals. Keeping your muscles active helps clear these toxic lipids, improving insulin sensitivity even if total muscle fat remains high.
DAGs and ceramides in myotubes were inversely associated with insulin sensitivity (r = -0.55, r = -0.73; P < 0.05) and ATPmax (r = -0.74, r = -0.85; P < 0.01).
Why this rating
Strong statistical correlations with specific metabolite measurements (LC-MS-MS) and functional assays (clamp, MRS).
Source
Lipid in skeletal muscle myotubes is associated to the donors' insulin sensitivity and physical activity phenotypes
Sudip Bajpeyi et al. · Obesity · 2013
DOI 10.1002/oby.20556
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