Lipids and Glucose in Type 2 Diabetes: What About the β-Cell and the Mitochondria?
Response to Eldor and Raz
- Guenther Boden, MD1 and
- Markku Laakso, MD2
- 1Temple University Health Science Center, General Clinical Research Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 2Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
- Address correspondence to Dr. Guenther Boden, MD, Temple University Health Science Center, General Clinical Research Center, North Broad St., 4W, Philadelphia, PA 19140. E-mail: guenther.boden{at}tuhs.temple.edu
Drs. Eldor and Raz (1) assert that “high levels of FFAs [free fatty acids] have a detrimental effect on β-cell survival and insulin secretion.” We agree, but only in relation to patients who have dysfunctional β-cells, i.e., patients with pre-diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, or type 2 diabetes (2–5). On the other …
