INS and hyperlipidemia: At 10 weeks of age (the start of the study), ZDF rats already showed increased body weight, first signs of hyperglycemia (elevated blood glucose and HbA1c levels) and hyperlipidemia (FFA: 0.24±0.05 and 0.65±0.18 mmol/L for lean and ZDF, respectively; p<0.05), and increased serum insulin.