An increased supply of FFAs for oxidation leads to a reduced rate of glucose oxidation and
interferes with the inhibitory action of insulin on hepatic glucose production. Available
evidence indicates that in humans skeletal muscle is a site for such substrate competition,
which involves both pyruvate oxidation and glycogen synthesis. The insulin resistance of
obesity is thought to be mostly of metabolic origin, and fully reversible. A reduction in FFA
supply by weight reduction can, however, reverse this defect. The insulin resistance …