Non-esterified fatty acid level and metabolic characteristics in nondiabetic first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetics / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the change of serum non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) level in nondiabetic first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetics, and to explore the related factors in the change.MethodsSerum lipid profile, plasma glucose and insulin levels were measured in 186 type 2 diabetic patients, 565 nondiabetic first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetics and 149 normal controls. Results (1) The fasting NEFA level in first-degree relatives was significantly lower than that of type 2 diabetic patients [(0.53±0.28 vs 0.63±0.31) mmol/L,P＜0.01]and HOMA-IR was significantly higher than that of normal controls (0.98±0.51 vs 0.89±0.47,P＜0.01). (2) The fasting NEFA level in the first-degree relatives with higher body mass index (BMI), plasma glucose or area under curve of glucose concentration (AUCglu) was higher than that in those with lower BMI, plasma glucose , blood pressure or AUCglu (all P＜0.05). (3) NEFA showed significantly positive correlations with BMI, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), AUCglu in the first-degree relatives by correlative analysis (r=0.12, r=0.148, r=0.21 and r=0.281 respectively, all P＜0.05). Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that DBP, AUCglu and age were the independent risk factors of NEFA (all P＜0.01). Conclusion Insulin resistance exists in nondiabetic first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetics, which seems to be related to elevated NEFA levels.