Binding of long‐chain fatty acids to serum albumin in healthy humans Relationship to obesity

Equilibria of the binding of palmitate to serum albumin in adults are studied by dialysis‐exchange‐rate determinations. The results are used for a description of binding equilibria of fatty acids in general, as follows. 1. The reserve albumin concentration, p , for binding of palmitate is used as an approximate measure of p * , the reserve albumin concentration for binding of mixed fatty acids present in serum. 2. The total availability of fatty acids is defined as C * / p * , where C * is the total concentration of non‐esterified fatty acid. 3. The fatty‐acid‐binding property of albumin is described by L * = p * / P —α C * / P is the albumin concentration. The numerical value of α is −0.05. The above parameters are measured in sera from four healthy volunteers, in whom large variations of serum fatty acid concentration occurred. A group of 64 healthy students showed considerable variation of L * from one individual to another. It is found that L * decreases significantly with increasing body mass index (body mass divided by the square of the body length). In 42 patients with diabetes type I, L * was independent of body mass index. These findings are consistent with a previously formulated hypothesis of the mechanism of obesity.