Journal
BRITISH JOURNAL OF NUTRITION
Volume 105, Issue 6, Pages 857-865Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S0007114510004472
Keywords
3-Hydroxybutyrate; Stable isotopes; Esterification
Categories
Funding
- European Commission [LSHM-CT-2005-018734]
- European Atherosclerosis Society
- Novo Nordisk
- Foundation for Strategic Research
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Before the menopause, women are relatively protected against CVD compared with men. The reasons for this sex difference are not completely understood, but hepatic fatty acid metabolism may play a role. The present study aimed to investigate the utilisation of plasma NEFA by the liver and to determine whether they are partitioned differently into ketone bodies and VLDL-TAG in healthy, lean young men and women. Volunteers were studied during a prolonged overnight fast (12-19 h) using an intravenous infusion of [U-C-13] palmitate. After 12 h fasting, the women had a more advantageous metabolic profile with lower plasma glucose (P < 0.05) and TAG (P < 0.05) but higher plasma NEFA (P < 0.05) concentrations. Plasma 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-OHB) concentrations rose more in women than in men, and the transfer of C-13 from [U-(13) C]palmitate to plasma [C-13]3-OHB reached a plateau 6-7 h after the start of the infusion in women but was still increasing at 6 h in men. This implies a slower 3-OHB production rate and/or dilution by other precursor pools in men. In women, the high isotopic enrichment of plasma 3-OHB suggested that systemic plasma fatty acids were the major source of 3-OHB production. However, in men, this was not observed during the course of the study(P < 0.01). There were no sex differences for the incorporation of C-13 into VLDL1-or VLDL2-TAG. The ability of young women to partition fatty acids towards ketone body production rather than VLDL-TAG may contribute to their more advantageous metabolic profile compared with young men.
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