Skip to main content
Home
Browse topics
Cardiovascular disorders Chronic kidney disease Diabetes devices & technology GLP-1 receptor agonists Hyperglycemia Hypoglycemia Obesity, diet, & lifestyle interventions SGLT2 inhibitors Type 1 diabetes Type 2 diabetes Browse all topics
EN
EN
In focus
Novel clinical evidence in continuous glucose monitoring Fasting for religion and health in people with diabetes The challenge of type 2 diabetes in children HFpEF & diabetes: Diagnosis and management in the wake of EMPEROR-Preserved Addressing suicide risk in diabetes: Rates and risk factors, HCP fears, and practical advice The SURPASS trials: Summarizing efficacy data on tirzepatide Semaglutide for weight loss: STEP and SELECT trials: Results from the STEP and SELECT trials Why psychosocial care matters DiRECT: Type 2 diabetes remission through weight management
Congress coverage
EASD 58th Annual Meeting 2022 The American Diabetes Association 82nd Scientific Sessions
About us
Medicine Matters Diabetes
EXTENDED SEARCH
Top

01-06-2018 | Diet | Article

Relative contributions of preprandial and postprandial glucose exposures, glycemic variability, and non-glycemic factors to HbA 1c in individuals with and without diabetes

Journal: Nutrition & Diabetes

Authors: Kristine Færch, Marjan Alssema, David J. Mela, Rikke Borg, Dorte Vistisen

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK

Login to get access

Abstract

Background/objective

There is substantial interest in dietary approaches to reducing postprandial glucose (PPG) responses, but the quantitative contribution of PPG to longer-term glycemic control (reflected in glycated hemoglobin, HbA1c) in the general population is not known. This study quantified the associations of preprandial glucose exposure, PPG exposure, and glycemic variability with HbA1c and estimated the explained variance in HbA1c in individuals with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Subjects/methods

Participants in the A1c-Derived Average Glucose (ADAG) study without T2D (n = 77) or with non-insulin-treated T2D and HbA1c<6.5% (T2DHbA1c < 6.5%, n = 63) or HbA1c ≥ 6.5% (T2DHbA1c ≥ 6.5%, n = 34) were included in this analysis. Indices of preprandial glucose, PPG, and glycemic variability were calculated from continuous glucose monitoring during four periods over 12 weeks prior to HbA1c measurement. In linear regression models, we estimated the associations of the glycemic exposures with HbA1c and calculated the proportion of variance in HbA1c explained by glycemic and non-glycemic factors (age, sex, body mass index, and ethnicity).

Results

The factors in the analysis explained 35% of the variance in HbA1c in non-diabetic individuals, 49% in T2DHbA1c < 6.5%, and 78% in T2DHbA1c ≥ 6.5%. In non-diabetic individuals PPG exposure was associated with HbA1c in confounder-adjusted analyses (P < 0.05). In the T2DHbA1c < 6.5% group, all glycemic measures were associated with HbA1c (P < 0.05); preprandial glucose and PPG accounted for 14 and 18%, respectively, of the explained variation. In T2DHbA1c ≥ 6.5%, these glycemic exposures accounted for more than 50% of the variation in HbA1c and with equal relative contributions.

Conclusions

Among the glycemic exposures, PPG exposure was most strongly predictive of HbA1c in non-diabetic individuals, suggesting that interventions targeting lowering of the PPG response may be beneficial for long-term glycemic maintenance. In T2D, preprandial glucose and PPG exposure contributed equally to HbA1c.
Literature
1.
Gallagher, E. J., Le Roith, D. & Bloomgarden, Z. Review of hemoglobin A(1c) in the management of diabetes. J. Diabetes 1, 9–17 (2009).CrossRefPubMed
2.
Coban, E., Ozdogan, M. & Timuragaoglu, A. Effect of iron deficiency anemia on the levels of hemoglobin A1c in nondiabetic patients. Acta Haematol. 112, 126–128 (2004).CrossRefPubMed
3.
Tancredi, M. et al. Excess mortality among persons with type 2 diabetes. N. Engl. J. Med. 373, 1720–1732 (2015).CrossRefPubMed
4.
Selvin, E. et al. Glycated hemoglobin, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk in nondiabetic adults. N. Engl. J. Med. 362, 800–811 (2010).CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
5.
Zhong, G. C., Ye, M. X., Cheng, J. H., Zhao, Y. & Gong, J. P. HbA1c and risks of all-cause and cause-specific death in subjects without known diabetes: a dose–response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Sci. Rep. 6, 24071 (2016).CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
6.
Santos-Oliveira, R. et al. Haemoglobin A1c levels and subsequent cardiovascular disease in persons without diabetes: a meta-analysis of prospective cohorts. Diabetologia 54, 1327–1334 (2011).CrossRefPubMed
7.
Borg, R. et al. Real-life glycaemic profiles in non-diabetic individuals with low fasting glucose and normal HbA1c: the A1C-Derived Average Glucose (ADAG) study. Diabetologia 53, 1608–1611 (2010).CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
8.
Blaak, E. E. et al. Impact of postprandial glycaemia on health and prevention of disease. Obes. Rev. 13, 923–984 (2012).CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
9.
Monnier, L., Lapinski, H. & Colette, C. Contributions of fasting and postprandial plasma glucose increments to the overall diurnal hyperglycemia of type 2 diabetic patients: variations with increasing levels of HbA(1c). Diabetes Care 26, 881–885 (2003).CrossRefPubMed
10.
Nathan D. M. et al. Translating the A1C assay into estimated average glucose values. Diabetes Care 31, 1473–1478 (2008).CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
11.
Service F. J. et al. Mean amplitude of glycemic excursions, a measure of diabetic instability. Diabetes 19, 644–655 (1970).CrossRefPubMed
12.
McDonnell, C. M., Donath, S. M., Vidmar, S. I., Werther, G. A. & Cameron, F. J. A novel approach to continuous glucose analysis utilizing glycemic variation. Diabetes Technol. Ther. 7, 253–263 (2005).CrossRefPubMed
13.
Danne, T. et al. International Consensus on Use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring. Diabetes Care 40, 1631–1640 (2017).CrossRefPubMed
14.
Snieder, H. et al. HbA(1c) levels are genetically determined even in type 1 diabetes: evidence from healthy and diabetic twins. Diabetes 50, 2858–2863 (2001).CrossRefPubMed
15.
Færch, K., Borch-Johnsen, K., Vaag, A., Jørgensen, T. & Witte, D. Sex differences in glucose levels: a consequence of physiology or methodological convenience? The Inter99 study. Diabetologia 53, 858–865 (2010).CrossRefPubMed
16.
Gould, B. J., Davie, S. J. & Yudkin, J. S. Investigation of the mechanism underlying the variability of glycated haemoglobin in non-diabetic subjects not related to glycaemia. Int. J. Clin. Chem. 260, 49–64 (1997).
17.
Alssema, M. et al. Diet and glycaemia: the markers and their meaning. A report of the Unilever Nutrition Workshop. British. J. Nutr. 113, 239–248 (2015).CrossRef
18.
Barclay, A. W. et al. Glycemic index, glycemic load, and chronic disease risk—a meta-analysis of observational studies. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 87, 627–637 (2008).CrossRefPubMed
19.
Dong, J. Y., Zhang, L., Zhang, Y. H. & Qin, L. Q. Dietary glycaemic index and glycaemic load in relation to the risk of type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Br. J. Nutr. 106, 1649–1654 (2011).CrossRefPubMed
20.
Holman, R. R. et al. Effects of acarbose on cardiovascular and diabetes outcomes in patients with coronary heart disease and impaired glucose tolerance (ACE): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 5, 877–886 (2017).CrossRefPubMed
21.
Hanefeld, M., Sulk, S., Helbig, M., Thomas, A. & Kähler, C. Differences in glycemic variability between normoglycemic and prediabetic subjects. J. Diabetes Sci. Technol. 8, 286–290 (2014).CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
22.
Ma, C.-M. et al. Glycemic variability in abdominally obese men with normal glucose tolerance as assessed by continuous glucose monitoring system. Obesity 19, 1616–1622 (2011).CrossRefPubMed
23.
Wang, Y.-m et al. Glycemic variability in normal glucose tolerance women with the previous gestational diabetes mellitus. Diabetol. Metab. Syndr. 7, 1–8 (2015).CrossRef
24.
Lim, L. L. et al. Relationship of glycated hemoglobin, and fasting and postprandial hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Malaysia. J. Diabetes Invest. 8, 453–461 (2017).CrossRef
25.
Wang, J. S. et al. Contribution of postprandial glucose to excess hyperglycaemia in Asian type 2 diabetic patients using continuous glucose monitoring. Diabetes Metab. Res. Rev. 27, 79–84 (2011).CrossRefPubMed
26.
Kang, X. et al. Contributions of basal glucose and postprandial glucose concentrations to hemoglobin A1c in the newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes—the Preliminary Study. Diabetes Technol. Ther. 17, 445–448 (2015).CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Be confident that your patient care is up to date

Medicine Matters is being incorporated into Springer Medicine, our new medical education platform. 

Alongside the news coverage and expert commentary you have come to expect from Medicine Matters diabetes, Springer Medicine's complimentary membership also provides access to articles from renowned journals and a broad range of Continuing Medical Education programs. Create your free account »

Image Credits