Impaired Postprandial Adipose Tissue Microvascular Blood Flow in Healthy People with a Family History of Type 2 Diabetes

Microvascular blood flow (MBF) enables the delivery of key nutrients (e.g., lipids and glucose) and hormones (e.g., insulin) to adipose tissue. We have demonstrated that adipose tissue MBF is impaired in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D), postprandially. Whether this also occurs in people at risk of T2D (having a family history of T2D) is unknown. Eighteen healthy people with no family history of T2D for two generations (FH-), and sixteen healthy people with at least one parent with T2D (FH+) were recruited. Overnight-fasted participants had a blood sample taken for clinical chemistries, a DEXA scan performed for body composition and underwent a mixed meal challenge (MMC, 300kCal; 54% carbohydrate, 29% protein and 16% fat). Microvascular blood volume (MBV), velocity (β) and MBF in truncal subcutaneous adipose tissue was assessed by contrast-enhanced ultrasound before and 60 min post-MMC. Both groups were matched for age, BMI, clinical chemistries and post-MMC area under the glucose time curve (Table 1). FH+ had higher truncal fat (Table 1). Increases in adipose tissue MBF post-MMC were lower in FH+ which was mostly attributed to a lower MBV (Table 1). Despite having normal clinical chemistries and blood glucose regulation, FH+ have impaired post-prandial adipose tissue MBF coinciding with greater central obesity which might in part explain their heightened risk for developing T2D. Disclosure K. Roberts-Thomson: None. R.D. Russell: None. D. Hu: None. T.M. Greenaway: Advisory Panel; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. Speaker’s Bureau; Self; AstraZeneca, Sanofi-Aventis. A.C. Betik: None. L. Parker: None. S.M. Richards: None. D. Premilovac: None. M. Keske: None.