Visual Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a disease characterized by persistent insulin resistance and progressive decline of β-cell function. It has been demonstrated that the changes of free fatty acid (FFA) levels and its metabolism in patients with T2DM could not only act as the cause but also as the consequence of insulin resistance. It is particularly important to analyze the relationship between the changes in FFA metabolism profile and glucose level in patients with T2DM.

Method: 606 subjects were enrolled in the study in Dalian, a city in Northeastern China. According to the Glycemic Targets Guideline: Subjects were divided into 3 groups. Group A (T2DM with worse glycemic control):112 patients with HbA1c≥7.0%; Group B : 53 T2DM patients with HbA1c<7.0% ; Group C : 411 healthy subjects. 23 kinds of serum FFAs including arachidonic acid (C20:4), nervonic acid (C24:1) were measured by LC-MS.

Result: The levels of nervonic acid (C24:1) were significantly different among the three groups (OR 95%CI:0.99[0.98~1.00], p<0.05). Compared with healthy people in group C, the levels of nervonic acid in group A and B were significantly lower.

Conclusion: The decreased level of neuronic acid is associated with worse glycemic control in T2DM patients, which may provide new ideas for clinical intervention and treatment of T2DM patients with worse glycemic control to supplement exogenous FFAs.

Disclosure

Y. Li: None. M. Zhou: None. X. Xia: None. H. Shen: None. Y. Li: None. Y. Xu: None. C. Han: None. Y. Liu: None.

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