The Role of the Liver in Insulin Action and Resistance

The phenotypic expression of non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM or Type 2 diabetes) and its associated syndrome (Syndrome X, insulin resistance syndrome [IRS]) has given rise to a great deal of debate on what is inherited and what is acquired in the pathogenesis of this disease state (1). In particular, the tissues or metabolic processes involved have all been implicated as primary sites in its evolution.