TUESDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- Acute variations in glucose, either after meals or at other times, appears to trigger more oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes than chronic hyperglycemia, according to a study in the April 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The findings could have "enormous clinical implications" if confirmed by larger studies, according to an editorial by Michael Brownlee, M.D., of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, and a colleague.
Louis Monnier, M.D., of the University of Montpellier in France, and colleagues compared the effects of sustained chronic hyperglycemia and acute glucose fluctuations on oxidative stress in 21 patients with type 2 diabetes and 21 matched controls. They measured oxidative stress using 24-hour excretion rates of free 8-iso prostaglandin F-2alpha (8-iso PGF F-2alpha) and used continuous glucose monitoring to calculate the mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE).
The mean urinary excretion rate of 8-iso PGF F-2alpha was almost twice as high in diabetics as in controls. After adjustment for other diabetes-related factors, oxidative stress was still significantly related to MAGE and glycemic fluctuation in the postprandial compared with the preprandial period.
"The present data suggest that interventional trials in type 2 diabetes should target not only hemoglobin A1C, and mean glucose concentrations but also acute glucose swings," the authors write.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial
