Research

Hormonal

High intramyocellular triacylglycerol (IMTG) content and high expression of fatty acid transporters (FAT/CD36) are associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, suggesting that lipid accumulation in muscle may contribute to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance.

If you have obesity or type 2 diabetes, high levels of fat stored within your muscle cells may contribute to insulin resistance. While this is not the case for all athletes, for the general population, reducing visceral and intramuscular fat through diet and exercise is crucial for restoring insulin sensitivity.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
in obese and type 2 diabetic men and women, the amount of FAT/CD36 protein... was higher compared with lean controls, and the FAT/CD36 protein expression correlated with the IMTG content
Bente Kiens · Physiological Reviews · 2005

Why this rating

Strong observational and molecular evidence linking IMTG/FAT/CD36 to insulin resistance in diabetic/obese populations.

Source

Skeletal Muscle Lipid Metabolism in Exercise and Insulin Resistance

Bente Kiens · Physiological Reviews · 2005

DOI 10.1152/physrev.00023.2004

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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