Research

Hormonal

Increased intramyocellular triglyceride (IMTG) content in insulin-sensitive skeletal muscle (soleus) is a primary determinant of in vivo whole-body insulin resistance in humans, independent of total body fat.

If you are lean but have a family history of type 2 diabetes, you may still have insulin resistance driven by fat stored inside your muscles, not just overall body weight. This internal muscle fat is a stronger predictor of metabolic health than your total body fat percentage. Regular physical activity helps manage this internal lipid storage.

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Offspring of diabetic parents... were characterized by insulin resistance and increased intramyocellular triglyceride content in the soleus... Stepwise regression analysis selected intramyocellular triglyceride soleus content and plasma free fatty acid levels as the main predictors of whole body insulin sensitivity.
Gianluca Perseghin et al. · Diabetes · 1999

Why this rating

Controlled clinical study with gold-standard clamp measurements and specific NMR quantification, though observational in nature regarding the lipid-insulin link.

Source

Intramyocellular triglyceride content is a determinant of in vivo insulin resistance in humans: a 1H-13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy assessment in offspring of type 2 diabetic parents.

Gianluca Perseghin et al. · Diabetes · 1999

DOI 10.2337/diabetes.48.8.1600

cross_sectional · n=28Cited 879×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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