Abstract
Ceramides are components of all cell membranes, regulating immune cell function and inflammation. Metabolism-wise, ceramides increase fat use as an energy substrate instead of glucose, thus reducing insulin resistance. In parallel, mitochondrial performance is also reduced, enabling the consumption of more fat per unit of energy production, while disrupting the function of lipolysis enzymes. Increased ceramide concentrations are observed in the adipose tissue of individuals with obesity, while in mice, blocking ceramide production improved insulin sensitivity and prevented atherosclerosis and heart failure. Elevated ceramide concentrations are associated with adiposity and the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and increased cardiovascular disease risk. Interventions with hypocaloric diets, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, low-sugar intake, substitution of unhealthy dietary fats, and supplementation with n-3 fatty acids and vitamin D can reduce ceramide concentrations, improving prognosis.
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Abbreviations
- C1P:
-
Ceramide 1-phosphate
- CAD:
-
Coronary artery disease
- CerS:
-
Ceramide synthetase
- CVD:
-
Cardiovascular disease
- EVOO:
-
Extra-virgin olive oil
- FFA:
-
Free fatty acids
- GLUT-4:
-
Glucose transporter type 4
- HELLP:
-
Hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets
- HOMA-IR:
-
Homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance
- IR:
-
Insulin resistance
- MD:
-
Mediterranean diet
- mRNA:
-
Messenger RNA
- MUFA:
-
Monounsaturated fatty acids
- NAFLD:
-
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- OA:
-
Oleic acid
- PA:
-
Palmitic acid
- PC:
-
Phosphatidylcholine
- PKB:
-
Akt kinase/protein B
- PREDIMED:
-
PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea
- RCT:
-
Randomized controlled trial
- S1P:
-
Sphingosine 1-posphate
- SFA:
-
Saturated fatty acid
- SPT:
-
Serine palmitoyl-transferase
- T2DM:
-
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
- TAG:
-
Triacylglyceride
- TNFα:
-
Tumor necrosis factor-α
- VD:
-
Lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet
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Alexandropoulou, I., Lantzanaki-Syrpou, M., Grammatikopoulou, M.G., Goulis, D.G. (2022). Ceramides as Dietary Biomarkers. In: Patel, V.B., Preedy, V.R. (eds) Biomarkers in Nutrition . Biomarkers in Disease: Methods, Discoveries and Applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07389-2_10
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