Research
Hormonal
Hepatic lipid accumulation contributes to insulin resistance through the activation of protein kinase C (PKC) by diacylglycerols (DAGs), but liver lipid can also be a consequence of hyperinsulinemia stimulating lipid synthesis pathways.
Reducing liver fat improves insulin sensitivity, but it's a two-way street: insulin resistance causes liver fat to accumulate, and liver fat worsens insulin resistance. Caloric restriction and carbohydrate reduction can rapidly improve hepatic insulin sensitivity by reducing fatty acid availability and DAG levels.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
In fact, DAGs through activation of protein kinase C (PKC)-epsilon may interfere with insulin signaling and make an important contribution to hepatic insulin resistance... insulin-stimulated lipid synthesis may be enhanced by compensatory hyperinsulinemia, whereas insulin-mediated glucose regulation is inhibited.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple clinical studies and animal models cited in the review.
Source
Adiposity and Insulin Resistance in Humans: The Role of the Different Tissue and Cellular Lipid Depots
Samantha Hocking et al. · Endocrine Reviews · 2013
DOI 10.1210/er.2012-1041
narrative_reviewCited 281×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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