Preliminary report: skeletal muscle cell lipid and oxygen supply

In a group of 12 normal-weight, normotensive, nondiabetic adult females, the intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) to creatine ratio of the soleus muscle was determined using localized (1)H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) and related to skeletal muscle blood (and oxygen) supply (as assessed by near infrared spectroscopy [NIRS] of the forearm). A significant positive association was found between IMCL content and reoxygenation rate of forearm muscle hemoglobin (Hb) after 1 minute of ischemic exercise (r = .70, P = .01). The relative efficiency of skeletal muscle oxygen supply may be a determining factor of IMCL content in skeletal muscle.