Figure 2.

Size and location of LDs in skeletal muscle. Endurance athletes have the same amount of intermyofibrillar lipid in their skeletal muscle LDs as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. However, their LDs are smaller in volume than the LDs in the skeletal muscle of T2DM and, therefore, the larger surface area provides higher lipolysis activity. The LDs of endurance athletes may also be contacted with mitochondria more than LDs in the skeletal muscle of T2DM, which provides the required energy for skeletal muscle with higher efficiency.