A recent study has identified specific alterations in lipid metabolism associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in individuals with type 2 diabetes. This silent condition, known as atherosclerosis, occurs before cardiovascular events and causes a gradual narrowing of the arteries due to the buildup of fatty plaques. It is one of the main causes of complications in patients with diabetes.
The study, published in Cardiovascular Diabetology, was led by Dr. Dídac Mauricio, scientific director of the Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases area at CIBER (CIBERDEM) and researcher at Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau), and Maria Barranco-Altirriba, first author of the article and researcher in the Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine area at CIBER (CIBER-BBN), also at the same institute. The study also involved other teams from CIBERDEM, CIBER-BBN, and the Obesity and Nutrition Physiopathology area (CIBEROBN) across different institutions.
The research analyzed more than 500 individuals, including patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and individuals without diabetes. It employed advanced lipid analysis technologies along with ultrasound imaging of the carotid arteries. Results indicated that nearly half of the participants displayed signs of subclinical atherosclerosis.
“In patients with type 2 diabetes, we identified 27 distinct lipid species associated with the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries. Among the most implicated lipids were phosphatidylcholines and diacylglycerols, which showed both increases and decreases. Interestingly, the most marked changes were observed in people with type 2 diabetes who smoked or were not receiving treatment to control cholesterol,” explained Dr. Dídac Mauricio.
“These findings point to a significant alteration in lipid metabolism in type 2 diabetes, which could help identify high cardiovascular risk patients at an early stage. Furthermore, this opens the door to new studies aimed at finding more personalized prevention and treatment strategies based on each individual’s lipid profile,” the research team concluded.
Barranco-Altirriba M, Rossell J, Alonso N, Weber RJM, Ortega E, Lloyd GR, et al. Lipidomic analysis reveals metabolism alteration associated with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2025;24(1):152. doi:10.1186/s12933-025-02701-z.
