Lipoprotein compositional abnormalities and insulin resistance in type II diabetic patients with mild hyperlipidemia

Abstract

Lipoprotein composition was determined using ultracentrifugation in 20 non-insulin-dependent (NIDDM) diabetic patients on diet only (D), 20 NIDDM patients on diet and sulfonylurea therapy (T), and 20 nondiabetic control subjects (C), all of whom had total plasma cholesterol concentrations <6.5 mmol/L and total plasma triglyceride concentrations <3.0 mmol/L. Although the groups were well matched for age, body mass index, total triglyceride levels, and total cholesterol concentrations, there were significant compositional abnormalities in the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) fractions of diabetic subjects. The LDL total lipid to apolipoprotein B weight ratio (representing the density distributions of LDL particles) was reduced in both diabetic groups: 3.75±0.3, 3.50±0.28, and 3.54±0.22 in C, D, and T groups, respectively (mean±SD; p