Relative Contribution of Intramyocellular Lipid to Whole-Body Fat Oxidation Is Reduced With Age but Subsarcolemmal Lipid Accumulation and Insulin Resistance Are Only Associated With Overweight Individuals
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Insulin resistance is closely related to intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) accumulation, and both are associated with increasing age. It remains to be determined to what extent perturbations in IMCL metabolism are related to the aging process per se. On two separate occasions, whole-body and muscle insulin sensitivity (euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp with 2-deoxyglucose) and fat utilization during 1 h of exercise at 50% VO2max ([U-13C]palmitate infusion combined with electron microscopy of IMCL) were determined in young lean (YL), old lean (OL), and old overweight (OO) males. OL displayed IMCL content and insulin sensitivity comparable with those in YL, whereas OO were markedly insulin resistant and had more than twofold greater IMCL in the subsarcolemmal (SSL) region. Indeed, whereas the plasma free fatty acid Ra and Rd were twice those of YL in both OL and OO, SSL area only increased during exercise in OO. Thus, skeletal muscle insulin resistance and lipid accumulation often observed in older individuals are likely due to lifestyle factors rather than inherent aging of skeletal muscle as usually reported. However, age per se appears to cause exacerbated adipose tissue lipolysis, suggesting that strategies to reduce muscle lipid delivery and improve adipose tissue function may be warranted in older overweight individuals.
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Whether the effects of exercise are the same in aged individuals as opposed to adults with obesity remains equivocal and is likely influenced by long-term diet and physical activity patterns.
“Whether these effects of exercise are the same in aged individuals, as opposed to adults with obesity remains equivocal [110–112] and is likely influenced by long-term diet and physical activity patterns.”
From Targeting Intramyocellular Lipids to Improve Aging Muscle Function (2025) · cites this paper as [111]
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Self-citationTargeting Intramyocellular Lipids to Improve Aging Muscle Function
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- Authors
- Chee, C., Shannon, C. E., Burns, A., Selby, A. L., Wilkinson, D., Smith, K., Greenhaff, P. L., & Stephens, F. B.
- Affiliations
- University of Nottingham (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Stephens, Francis B.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Diabetes
- Publisher
- American Diabetes Association
- Published
- 2016-01-06
- Volume
- 65
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 840-850
- ISSN
- 0012-1797 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-327X
- PMC
- PMC4894456
- OpenAlex
- W2312012486
- Cited by
- 74
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 6.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Diabetes (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Repository@Nottingham (University of Nottingham) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) (acceptedVersion)
- Repository@Nottingham (University of Nottingham) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Nottingham ePrints (University of Nottingham) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Figshare (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Dunhill Medical Trust (R211/0711)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins
- Keywords
- intramyocellular lipid, insulin resistance, aging, overweight, skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity, adipose tissue lipolysis, free fatty acid uptake, physical activity, 13C-labeled fatty acids, muscle lipid metabolism
- MeSH terms
- Adipose Tissue, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Exercise Test, Humans, Insulin Resistance, Lipids, Male, Middle Aged, Oxidation-Reduction, Glucose Clamp Technique, Exercise, Muscle, Skeletal, Overweight, Lipid Metabolism, Young Adult
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