Lipid metabolisms and Insulin Effect – Diabetes 20

Illustration of lipid metabolims (credit to 123RF).

We talked about carbohydrate metabolism in the previous post (Effect of Insulin on Metabolic Rate - Diabetes 19 | Tanza Erlambang Update). This post will discuss little bit about Lipid metabolism.

You might forget what lipid is. Yes, it is organic compound: fatty acid and all of its derivatives.

In daily life, examples of lipid may include:

- cooking oil (natural oils)

- waxes (substance which produced by bees to construct honeycomb as an example)

- steroids (material to form hormone, vitamin D and bile salts in the body).

Lipid metabolism is important, because its to breakdown the lipid into cells (smaller chain fatty acids).

These smaller fat cells either stored (source of energy) or synthesize (for specific use). It is crucial to have synthesis process, where fats are constructed to be cell membranes (plasma membranes).

Source of Lipid in daily life (credit to SlideServe)

What hormones regulate lipid metabolism? 3 key hormones are:

- insulin

- leptin

- adiponectin

Insulin affects on both carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. In respect to lipid metabolism, insulin help synthesis process, include glycogen synthesis.

In the liver, insulin could stimulate glycogen synthesis. Two goals of this kind of synthesis:

- manage blood glucose level

- provide energy need

Thus, we may understand the relationship between lipid metabolism and insulin, then relationship to diabetes.

Lower insulin production causes lower lipid metabolism rate, then increase blood glucose level, or the process is vice versa.