Free fatty acids - elevated?

[togeprrriii]

So I try to find out, when someones free fatty acids are "elevated" - mine were at 0.54 mMol/l (range: 0.10 - 0.60). Are these elevated or high? I only found one study where the elevated group had 1.80 i think, so really much higher than the reference range of my lab, and the healthy controls had only between 0.1 and 0.2. So is 0.54 only slightly elevated and not much of concern? I am really confused.

 

[youngsinatra]

If the test is done fasted it’s understandable that it’s on the higher side. It would be an energetic crisis if FFA did not elevate in the fasted state.

 

[togeprrriii]

If the test is done fasted it’s understandable that it’s on the higher side. It would be an energetic crisis if FFA did not elevate in the fasted state.

yes it was in fasted state. but my blood glucose was 94, so wouldn't that be enough to keep free fatty acids low and the body still don't get into a energy crisis? I'm genuinely curious.

 

[youngsinatra]

yes it was in fasted state. but my blood glucose was 94, so wouldn't that be enough to keep free fatty acids low and the body still don't get into a energy crisis? I'm genuinely curious.

Your body maintains blood glucose in the normal range always - even after you have not eaten for a day or two. If your body did not have enough blood glucose, you would die because certain important body tissues can only oxidize glucose. But in the fasted state, your blood glucose is not maintained by your stored liver glycogen, but by gluconeogenesis.

 

[togeprrriii]

Your body maintains blood glucose in the normal range always - even after you have not eaten for a day or two. If your body did not have enough blood glucose, you would die because certain important body tissues can only oxidize glucose. But in the fasted state, your blood glucose is not maintained by your stored liver glycogen, but by gluconeogenesis.

View attachment 57498

okay thank you, that is good information. do you have a reference for the table? looks very helpful.

So then my 0.54 fatty acids are elevated, but in an expectable way (bc of fasted state) and not high in the way one could infer disease from this number alone (like diabetes or insulin resistence)?

 

[youngsinatra]

okay thank you, that is good information. do you have a reference for the table? looks very helpful.

So then my 0.54 fatty acids are elevated, but in an expectable way (bc of fasted state) and not high in the way one could infer disease from this number alone (like diabetes or insulin resistence)?

Your FFA is not even elevated. I have seen papers where FFA acids go as high as 1.0-2.0 after 24h of fasting. (Fatty acids homeostasis during fasting predicts protection from chemotherapy toxicity - Nature Communications)

And for the graph’s reference : Integration of Metabolism

 

[togeprrriii]

Your FFA is not even elevated. I have seen papers where FFA acids go as high as 1.0-2.0 after 24h of fasting. (Fatty acids homeostasis during fasting predicts protection from chemotherapy toxicity - Nature Communications)

And for the graph’s reference : Integration of Metabolism

Great, thank you. That brings some light into my confusion! And thanks for the reference.

 

[sunny]

+1 on the graph and reference site.