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High blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes may contribute to unhealthy levels of blood lipids.
Posted On: July 25, 2016
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Although blood lipid levels can be lowered through exercise, a healthy diet and lipid-lowering drugs, 65% of diabetes-related deaths are still caused by cardiovascular disease.
People with type 2 diabetes are two to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people without diabetes. A major risk factor for cardiovascular disease in diabetes is abnormal blood lipid levels, such as high levels of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs). Despite the risk, it remains unclear how high blood sugar levels—a hallmark of diabetes—affect blood lipids.
TGHRI Senior Scientist Dr. Gary Lewis published a clinical study that sheds new light on the relationship between blood sugar and blood lipid levels.
As part of the study, researchers gave 10 healthy men either an intravenous infusion of saline (which did not affect their blood sugar levels) or a 20% glucose solution to mimic the high blood sugar levels in those with type 2 diabetes. Over the course of the 15-hour study, blood samples were taken from the participants at hourly intervals and analyzed. Researchers found that high blood sugar increased the release of TRLs from the intestine, which in turn, increased the levels of TRL in the blood.
These findings suggest that high blood sugar may contribute to the abnormal levels of blood lipids in diabetes by stimulating the release of TRLs from the intestine. Future studies will aim to define the molecular mechanisms underpinning the link between blood sugar and TRL release. This thread of research may lead to the development of new strategies to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in individuals with diabetes.
This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation.
Intravenous glucose acutely stimulates intestinal lipoprotein secretion in healthy humans. Xiao C, Dash S, Morgantini C, Lewis GF. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. PMID: 27150393. 2016 May 5. [Pubmed abstract]
TGHRI Senior Scientist Dr. Gary Lewis published a clinical study that sheds new light on the relationship between blood sugar and blood lipid levels.
As part of the study, researchers gave 10 healthy men either an intravenous infusion of saline (which did not affect their blood sugar levels) or a 20% glucose solution to mimic the high blood sugar levels in those with type 2 diabetes. Over the course of the 15-hour study, blood samples were taken from the participants at hourly intervals and analyzed. Researchers found that high blood sugar increased the release of TRLs from the intestine, which in turn, increased the levels of TRL in the blood.
These findings suggest that high blood sugar may contribute to the abnormal levels of blood lipids in diabetes by stimulating the release of TRLs from the intestine. Future studies will aim to define the molecular mechanisms underpinning the link between blood sugar and TRL release. This thread of research may lead to the development of new strategies to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in individuals with diabetes.
This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation.
Intravenous glucose acutely stimulates intestinal lipoprotein secretion in healthy humans. Xiao C, Dash S, Morgantini C, Lewis GF. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. PMID: 27150393. 2016 May 5. [Pubmed abstract]