The Effect of Liraglutide on Dietary Lipid Induced Insulin Resistance in Humans

The specific aim of this study is to determine the ability of subacute liraglutide administration to protect against dietary lipid induced peripheral insulin resistance in non-diabetic subjects who have normal glucose tolerance. Recent data from our laboratory and others suggest that high fat meals, enriched with saturated fatty acids (SFA) in particular, have a unique and profound ability to induce rapid (in ≤ 24 hr) and profound onset of insulin resistance in humans. This is presumably mediated in part through delivery of lipids and lipid products generated during postprandial lipolysis into non-adipose tissue. This unique model therefore provides an excellent platform to test agents for their ability to inhibit dietary induced insulin resistance. As we and others have demonstrated the ability of GLP-1 receptor agonists to markedly suppress postprandial lipid elevations and to modify lipid metabolism, we hypothesize that liraglutide may be an effective agent to inhibit development of dietary induced insulin resistance.