Diabetes
Contributes to Cholesterol Metabolism Regardless of Obesity
Study
shows that diabetes modulates cholesterol metabolism more than obesity
alone.
The
purpose of the study was to investigate cholesterol metabolism in
obesity with and without diabetes.
They
performed cross-sectional metabolic studies in obese individuals with
and without type 2 diabetes. The study population consisted of 16
obese (BMI >30 kg/m2)
diabetic subjects with a mean age of 52 ± 2 years (SE) and 16
nondiabetic control subjects of similar age and weight. Cholesterol
absorption efficiency was measured with peroral dual isotopes and
cholesterol synthesis with sterol balance.
The
Results showed that serum total cholesterol did not differ between the
groups, but LDL and HDL cholesterol were significantly lower and VLDL
cholesterol and serum total and VLDL triglycerides were higher in the
diabetic group than in the control group. Cholesterol absorption
efficiency was 29 ± 1% in diabetic subjects vs. 42 ± 2% in the
control subjects (P < 0.01). Cholesterol synthesis was
higher (17 ± 1 vs. 14 ± 1 mg · kg-1
· day-1;
P < 0.05) and neutral sterol and bile acid excretion and
cholesterol turnover tended to be higher in the diabetic group than in
the control group. Blood glucose was positively related to cholesterol
synthesis in the diabetic group (r = +0.663, P <
0.01) and in the control group (r = +0.590, P <
0.05), suggesting that the higher blood glucose level, the higher the
cholesterol synthesis. In addition, blood glucose was significantly
positively related to fecal neutral sterol excretion in both groups.
From
the results it was concluded that cholesterol absorption efficiency
was lower and cholesterol synthesis was higher in obese subjects with
diabetes than in those without diabetes, suggesting that diabetes
modulates cholesterol metabolism more than obesity alone.
