# Regional Fatty Acid Metabolism In Humans

> **NIH NIH R01** · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · 2021 · $601,950

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 The long-term goal of our research is to understand how obesity, specifically upper body obesity
(UBO), causes insulin resistance and the other health problems such as Type 2 Diabetes. Our focus has been
on how free fatty acid (FFA) release from adipose tissue lipolysis in humans affect the functioning of other
tissues (lipotoxicity). The specific aims of this proposal are to: 1) determine whether insulin-resistant UBO have
reduced muscle glucose uptake in response to exercise compared with insulin sensitive normal weight control
volunteers; 2) assess whether the exercise signaling pathway is intact in insulin-resistant UBO compared with
insulin sensitive normal weight control volunteers; 3) measure whether the trafficking of plasma FFA-palmitate
into lipid intermediates is altered in insulin resistant UBO compared with insulin sensitive, normal weight control
volunteers; and 4) determine whether overnight, modest increases in plasma FFA using an intra-duodenal
palm oil infusion impairs exercise-stimulated muscle glucose uptake in insulin sensitive, normal weight
volunteers. We will measure exercise-stimulated muscle glucose uptake in vivo and assess some of the
muscle signaling proteins involved in GLUT4 translocation in insulin sensitive lean and insulin resistant UBO
that are matched for fitness. We will also measure whether raising FFA in a physiological pattern using palm
oil reduces exercise-stimulated muscle glucose uptake. Our hypothesis is that the distal steps involved in
muscle glucose transport are altered in UBO humans (e.g. exercise-stimulated muscle glucose uptake is also
impaired in UBO) and that these defects are responsible for the apparent insulin resistance with regards to
muscle glucose uptake. Combined, we believe these studies will offer insights as to why UBO are insulin
resistant and provide information on what therapeutic strategies to treat muscle insulin resistance are most
promising.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10201573
- **Project number:** 5R01DK045343-29
- **Recipient organization:** MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL D. JENSEN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $601,950
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1992-09-30 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10201573

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10201573, Regional Fatty Acid Metabolism In Humans (5R01DK045343-29). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10201573. Licensed CC0.

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