Postprandial lipid metabolism and beta-cell function in non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus after a mixed meal with a high fat content.

Postprandial lipid profiles and release of insulin (INS), intact proinsulin (PI), and 32-33 split proinsulin (SPI) in response to a mixed meal with a high fat content were determined over a 12 h period in non-obese control subjects (n = 10) and non-insulin-dependent (Type 2) diabetic (NIDDM) patients with normotriglyceridaemia (NTG; n = 11) and hypertriglyceridaemia (HTG; n = 10), by calculation of the 'areas under the curves' (AUC). The postprandial triglyceride-AUC was significantly greater in HTG-NIDDM patients (p < 0.05) than in NTG-NIDDM or control subjects. Chylomicron clearance was impaired only in HTG-NIDDM patients (p < 0.05). Chylomicron-remnant clearance was impaired in both groups of NIDDM patients (p < 0.05). The postprandial suppression of plasma non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) content was impaired in HTG-NIDDM patients (p < 0.05). The postprandial INS-, PI- and SPI-AUCS were significantly greater than in the control subjects (p < 0.05). In NIDDM, triglyceride-AUC correlated significantly with PI and SPI release (triglyceride-AUC vs PI, p < 0.05; triglyceride-AUC vs SPI, p < 0.01). Chylomicron AUC was unrelated to the fasting plasma INS, PI or SPI content, unlike chylomicron-remnant-AUC (Chylomicron-remnant-AUC vs INS, p = NS; chylomicron-remnant-AUC vs PI, p < 0.01; chylomicron-remnant-AUC vs SPI, p < 0.01). The NEFA response was associated with fasting plasma SPI content (NEFA-AUC vs SPI, p < 0.05). Postprandial chylomicron AUC was not related to the overall secretion of INS, PI or SPI. However, triglyceride-, chylomicron-remnant- and NEFA-AUCs were all associated positively with the release of PI and SPI (p < 0.05). In multivariate analyses, chylomicron-remnant clearance had the major relationship with the release of insulin precursors, accounting for 23% of the variability (p < 0.01). Inclusion of overall response of free fatty acids improved the model, with both parameters together accounting for 30% of the variability (p < 0.01). The output of the beta-cell over the postprandial period differed between the NIDDM patients and the control subjects in that when glycaemic stimulation was moderate, the proportion of insulin-like molecules as a percentage of the total output was greater than in control subjects but this was not the situation when glycaemia was greatest. We conclude that abnormal postprandial lipaemia in NIDDM is associated with beta-cell output, possibly mediated by the availability of free fatty acids.