INS and endothelial dysfunction: While we could not find any published papers about margarate (17:0) in relation to metabolic risk, a mechanistic study found that orotate caused endothelial dysfunction in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and induced a 125% increase in insulin resistance in rats [20], and increasing evidence indicates a positive correlation of serine, a non-essential amino acid that plays a central role in a broad range of cellular processes, with insulin secretion and sensitivity [21].