Blood sugar levels indicative of β-cell dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes: Study

USA: Blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) treated with metformin alone, is strongly associated β-cell dysfunction, finds a recent study in the Journal of Diabetes and its Complications. This implies that efforts for glycemia improvement should focus on interventions to improve β-cell function.

Kristina M. Utzschneidera, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, and colleagues aimed to evaluate the relationship between measures of glycemia with β-cell function and insulin sensitivity in adults with early type 2 diabetes. 

For the purpose, the researchers assessed baseline data from 3108 adults with T2DM <10 years treated with metformin alone enrolled in the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes.

A Comparative Effectiveness (GRADE) Study -- Using oral glucose tolerance tests, insulin and C-peptide responses and insulin sensitivity were calculated. Regression models evaluated the relationships between glycemic measures (HbA1c, fasting and 2-h glucose), measures of β-cell function and insulin sensitivity. 

Key findings of the study include:

"Glycemia correlates more strongly with β-cell dysfunction than insulin resistance," wrote the authors.

"Glycemia is strongly associated with β-cell dysfunction in adults with early T2DM treated with metformin alone," they concluded. "Efforts to improve glycemia should focus on interventions aimed at improving β-cell function." 

Reference:

The study titled, "Association of glycemia with insulin sensitivity and β-cell function in adults with early type 2 diabetes on metformin alone," is published in the Journal of Diabetes and its Complications.

DOI: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1056872721000866