Diacylglycerol: an innocent bystander in skeletal muscle insulin resistance?

Overweight involves fat accumulation in muscles and this phenomenon is associated with the development of insulin resistance, the pre-stage of type 2 diabetes. This dissertation studies the molecular mechanisms of fat induced insulin resistance, with particular attention to the role of diacylglycerol in this process. Diacylglycerol is a side-product of fat metabolism that accumulates in the muscle when the balance between fat absorption and fat burning is disturbed. Using various research models (nutritional, pharmacological and genetic interventions) in test animals and persons the fat metabolism in the muscle is modified to analyse the role of diacylglycerol in insulin resistance of the muscle. One of the conclusions is that this cannot be explained by merely taking into account the quantity of diacylglycerol that is accumulated.