Research

Hormonal

Elevated ceramide content (both saturated and unsaturated) is significantly higher in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle, independent of obesity and physical fitness levels.

Insulin-resistant muscle contains significantly higher levels of ceramides, a type of fat molecule that interferes with insulin signaling. This elevation is seen even when comparing obese individuals with similar fitness levels, suggesting that ceramide accumulation is a key feature of insulin resistance itself, not just a byproduct of being overweight.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
We observed higher total levels of ceramide (555 ± 53 vs. 293 ± 54 pmol/mg protein, P < 0.004)... in the IR group compared with the IS group.
Paul M. Coen et al. · Diabetes · 2009

Why this rating

Robust methodology using mass spectrometry and clamps, controlling for major confounders like obesity and fitness.

Source

Insulin Resistance Is Associated With Higher Intramyocellular Triglycerides in Type I but Not Type II Myocytes Concomitant With Higher Ceramide Content

Paul M. Coen et al. · Diabetes · 2009

DOI 10.2337/db09-0988

case_control · n=22Cited 219×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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