Label-free CARS microscopy reveals similar triacylglycerol acyl chain length and saturation in myocellular lipid droplets of athletes and individuals with type 2 diabetes.

In contrast to reports of profound differences in the lipid composition of lipids extracted from skeletal muscle from trained and type 2 diabetic individuals, our in situ, LD-specific approach detected only modest differences in TAG composition in LD subpopulations, which were dependent on LD size and subcellular location. If, and to what extent, these modest differences can impact insulin sensitivity remains to be elucidated. Graphical abstract.