Serum lipid and apolipoprotein levels in non-hypertensive lean NIDDM patients.

To determine the possible role of a glycaemic control in lipid metabolism in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients, serum lipid and apolipoprotein levels were measured in well-controlled and poorly controlled lean NIDDM without proteinuria and hypertension. A sample of 96 lean NIDDM patients (body mass index less than 25 kg m-2 in men and less than 27 kg m-2 in women) were divided into two groups: group I, where the HbA1c concentration had been less than 6% for the previous 3 months, and group II, where the HbA1c concentration had been greater than 8% for the previous 3 months. Serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and HDL-cholesterol levels showed no significant differences between groups I and II. Furthermore, serum levels of apolipoproteins AI, AII, B, CII, CIII, and E did not differ significantly between groups I and II. These results suggest that glycaemic control did not influence lipid metabolism in lean NIDDM patients.