Increasing insulin resistance accentuates the effect of triglyceride-associated loci on serum triglycerides during 5 years

An 8-week ketogenic diet improves exercise endurance and liver antioxidant capacity after weight loss in obese mice

Evolving evidence supports the role of the ketogenic diet (KD) in weight loss. However, no coherent conclusions are drawn on its impact on the effect of KD on exercise and antioxidant capacity after weight loss in obese individuals. We evaluated the exercise performance, energy metabolism and antioxidant capacity of mice after weight loss using high-fat diet-induced obese mice, and used KD and normal diet (ND) intervention, respectively, to provide a theoretical basis for further study of the health effects of KD. Our results showed that the 8-week KD significantly reduced the body weight of obese mice and improved the performance of treadmill exercise, but had no significant effect on grip strength. Serum biochemical results suggest that KD has the risk of elevating blood lipid. In liver tissue, KD significantly reduced the level of oxidative stress and increased the antioxidant capacity of the liver. Our findings suggest that the intervention with KD led to weight loss, modulate energy metabolism and improve aerobic exercise endurance in obese mice. Despite its antioxidant potential in the liver, the utilization of KD still requires caution. This study underscores the need for further investigation into the health impacts of KD, especially in regard to its potential risks.

Type 2 Diabetes Risk and Lipid Metabolism Related to the Pleiotropic Effects of an ABCB1 Variant: A Chinese Family-Based Cohort Study

The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs4148727 in ABCB1 (encoding p-glycoprotein) is associated with lipid levels; however, its association with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and its the genetic correlation with lipid profiles and T2DM are unclear. We included 2300 participants from 593 families. A generalized estimating equations (GEE) model and Cox regression models were used to estimate the SNP’s effects on T2DM and lipid profiles. The participation of the SNP in T2DM pathogenesis through lipid-associated pathways was tested using mediation analysis. The G allele of the SNP was related to a 32% (6–64%, p = 0.015) increase in T2DM risk. It was also associated with a 10% (1–20%, p = 0.029), 17% (3–32%, p = 0.015), and 4% (1–7%, p = 0.015) increment in total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and apolipoprotein A (Apo-A) concentrations, respectively. According to the mediation analysis, only TG (6.9%) and Apo-B (4.0%) had slight but significant mediation effects on the total impact of the SNP on T2DM. The pleiotropic effects of the ABCB1 variant on T2DM and lipids likely act via different pathways. The biological mechanisms should be verified in a future study.

The correlation of atherosclerosis and triglyceride glucose index: a secondary analysis of a national cross-sectional study of Japanese

BACKGROUND

Few studies examined the relationship between triglyceride/glucose index (TyG index) and atherosclerosis in Japanese adults. Therefore, this study evaluated their relationship, as measured based on the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in Japanese adults.

METHODS

A total of 912 participants was selected from the NAGALA (NAFLD in Gifu Area, Longitudinal Analysis) study conducted from 2004 to 2012. The relationship between the TyG index and baPWV was estimated through a logistic model. Subgroup analyses by sex, age, body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and fatty liver was performed. The formula for TyG index was ln (½fasting triglyceride level [mg/dL] × fasting plasma glucose level [mg/dL]).

RESULTS

A linear relationship between TyG and baPWV was discovered after adjusting for underlying confounders. An increased risk of baPWV was observed after adjusting for sex, age, BMI, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fatty liver, eGFR, and TyG as a continuous variable (adjusted odds ratio [adj OR], 1.57; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.14-2.18). Compared with the TyG index in the first tertile, the probabilities of subjects in the third tertile that developed to baPWV were 1.78-fold higher (adj OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.08-2.95: P for trend 0.024). Moreover, stable associations were observed between the TyG index and baPWV in different variables through subgroup analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

The highest tertile (above 8.57) of the TyG index was positively and linearly related to subclinical atherosclerosis in Japanese adults and may be valuable as a predicted marker.

Causal relationships between lipid and glycemic levels in an Indian population: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization approach

BACKGROUND

Dyslipidemia and abnormal glycemic traits are leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Although the association between the two traits is well established, there still exists a gap in the evidence for the direction of causality.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the direction of the causal relationship between lipids and glycemic traits in an Indian population using bidirectional Mendelian randomization (BMR).

METHODS

The BMR analysis was conducted on 4900 individuals (2450 sib-pairs) from the Indian Migration Study. Instrument variables were generated for each lipid and glycemic trait (fasting insulin, fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, HOMA-β, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides) to examine the causal relationship by applying two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression in both directions.

RESULTS

Lipid and glycemic traits were found to be associated observationally, however, results from 2SLS showed that only triglycerides, defined by weighted genetic risk score (wGRS) of 3 SNPs (rs662799 at APOAV, rs780094 at GCKR and rs4420638 at APOE/C1/C4), were observed to be causally effecting 1.15% variation in HOMA-IR (SE = 0.22, P = 0.010), 1.53% in HOMA- β (SE = 0.21, P = 0.001) and 1.18% in fasting insulin (SE = 0.23, P = 0.009). No evidence for a causal effect was observed in the reverse direction or between any other lipid and glycemic traits.

CONCLUSION

The study findings suggest that triglycerides may causally impact various glycemic traits. However, the findings need to be replicated in larger studies.