Associations of age with serum insulin, proinsulin and the proinsulin-to-insulin ratio: a cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Insulin responses and insulin levels seem to decline with age. However, the question of beta cell impairment attributable to ageing has been sparsely addressed in population-based studies. Non-fasting insulin levels are determined by the ambient degree of insulin resistance together with the capacity of beta cells to compensate by insulin secretion to prevent hyperglycaemia. A raised proinsulin-to-insulin ratio (proinsulin/insulin) due to impaired processing of proinsulin is an early marker of beta cell dysfunction. We hypothesised that in a general population, signs of beta cell failure with advancing age manifest not only by decreases in random insulin, but also with a corresponding increase in its precursor proinsulin.

Methods

In the Tromsø Study 1994-95 we mea

SUBMITTER: Bryhni B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3020169 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature