Association between postprandial glucose and carotid intima media thickness in normoglycaemic women

To assess the associations of postprandial glucose (ppGL) and postprandial triglycerides (ppTG) with carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) in women with normal glucose metabolism (NGM) and type 2 diabetes (DM2), 76 postmenopausal women with NGM and 78 with DM2 received two consecutive fat-rich and two consecutive carbohydrate-rich meals on separate occasions; blood samples were taken at regular intervals and ultrasound imaging of carotid artery was performed to measure cIMT. In women with NGM, an increase of 1.0 mmol/L glucose following the fat-rich meals was associated with a 50 µm cIMT increase (P=0.04), and an increase of 1.8 mmol/L glucose following the carbohydrate-rich meals was associated with a 50 µm larger cIMT (P=0.08). No such associations were observed in women with DM2 and ppTG were not associated with cIMT. Therefore, postprandial glucose excursions within the normal range may be a marker of cardiovascular risk in normoglycaemic women. In addition, postprandial glucose could be a better indicator of risk than post-load (OGTT) glucose or postprandial triglyceride levels.

Abstract