Resistance to Ketosis in Moderately Obese Patients : Influence of Fatty Liver
1992 Volume 31 Issue 8 Pages 978-983
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1992 Volume 31 Issue 8 Pages 978-983
To elucidate whether the presence of fatty liver influences ketogenesis in obesity, the metabolic and hormonal changes in basal and low-dose epinephrine (EPI)-stimulated states were studied in 12 obese patients (OB) with normal glucose tolerance, consisting of 6 without fatty liver (OBN) and 6 with fatty liver (OBF). In the basal state, the total ketone body (TKB) concentration and the TKB to free fatty acid (FFA) ratio were significantly (p<0.01) lower in the OBF than in the OBN group, despite elevated, but comparable, FFA levels in both groups. The basal FFA level and the TKB/FFA ratio correlated with the degree of fatty liver (p <0.05-0.01). EPI infusion resulted in accelerated lipolysis and diminished FFA-induced ketogenesis, similar to the findings of the basal data. These results suggest that fatty liver per se is related to diminished FFA-induced ketogenesis, leading to resistance to ketosis in obestiy.
(Internal Medicine 31 : 978-983, 1992)
