The influence of aging on the peripheral action of insulin was studied using subcutaneous adipose tissue from eight young (range 22–30 yr) and seven middle-aged (40–59 yr). healthy, normal-weight subjects. Insulin binding per cell was 50% lower in the older than in the younger group (P < 0.01), essentially owing to a decrease in the insulin receptor number. Concomitantly, insulin sensitivity, as reflected in the degree of antilipolysis and stimulation of glucose oxidation, was 10–20 times smaller in the older subjects (P < 0.01). Basal lipolysis and the maximum antilipolytic effect of insulin were similar in the two groups. The basal rate of glucose oxidation in the older subjects was less than one-half that for the younger group (P < 0.025), and the maximum level of insulin-induced glucose oxidation was lower by about 75% (P < 0.01). Age was significantly and negatively correlated with insulin receptor number (r = −0.81), basal production of 14Co2 (r = −0.73) and maximum level of insulin-induced glucose oxidation (r = −0.68). The decreases in the receptor number and insulin sensitivity were larger in early adulthood than in the elderly, while the decrease in insulin responsiveness was more uniform. It is concluded that aging is accompanied by impairment of the action of insulin on target cells, owing to alterations at both the receptor and the postreceptor levels. These mechanisms, and especially the postreceptor defect, may be essential factors in the development of relative glucose intolerance in the aged.
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Original Articles|
October 01 1983
Influence of Aging on Insulin Receptor Binding and Metabolic Effects of Insulin on Human Adipose Tissue
Jan Bounder;
Jan Bounder
Department of Medicine and the Research Center, Huddinge Hospital, Karolinska Institute
Huddinge, Sweden
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Jan Östman;
Jan Östman
Department of Medicine and the Research Center, Huddinge Hospital, Karolinska Institute
Huddinge, Sweden
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Peter Arner
Peter Arner
Department of Medicine and the Research Center, Huddinge Hospital, Karolinska Institute
Huddinge, Sweden
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Address reprint requests to Jan Bounder, M.D., Department of Medicine, Huddinge Hospital, S-141 86 Huddinge, Sweden.
Diabetes 1983;32(10):959–964
Article history
Received:
December 06 1982
Revision Received:
March 09 1983
PubMed:
6352381
Citation
Jan Bounder, Jan Östman, Peter Arner; Influence of Aging on Insulin Receptor Binding and Metabolic Effects of Insulin on Human Adipose Tissue. Diabetes 1 October 1983; 32 (10): 959–964. https://doi.org/10.2337/diab.32.10.959
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