Inflammation, ectopic fat and lipid metabolism: view from the chair

How meals containing large amounts of lipids induce insulin resistance in the short and long term remains a topic of intense research. Speakers of the afternoon session showed recent findings on the modulation of mitochondria-induced oxidative stress by energy substrates, both in chronic and acute (single high-fat intake) contexts, which have enabled a better understanding of insulin action at the molecular and cellular levels. These advances are highly amenable to being combined with innovative, elegant imaging techniques to look at the fate of these energy substrates at the in vivo level within optimally defined experimental protocols, both in human and nonhuman models.