Glucose tolerance and insulin action in healthy centenarians.
Paolisso, Giuseppe, Antonio Gambardella, Stefania Ammendola, Anna
D'amore, Vinicio Balbi, Michele Varricchio, and Felice D'onofrio.
Department of Geriatric Medicine and Metabolic Diseases - II
University of Naples - Italy
APStracts 2:0237E, 1995.
Advancing age has been found associated with a decline in insulin
action. Nevertheless, no study has been conduced in healthy
centenarians. Our study investigates glucose tolerance and insulin
action in centenarians. Fifty-two subjects were enrolled. The
subjects were divided in three groups: a) Adults (<50 yrs;
n=20); b) Aged subjects (>75yrs; n=22); Centenarians (>100
yrs; n=14).Body composition was studied by bioimpedance analysis. In
all subjects oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and euglycemic
glucose clamp were performed. Centenarians have fat free mass (FFM)
lower than aged subjects and adults, while fasting plasma glucose,
triglycerides, free fatty acids, urea and creatinine were not
different in the studied groups. Centenarians had 2-hr plasma glucose
concentration (6.0+/-0.2 mmol/L) lower than in aged subjects (6.6+/
-0.5 mmol/L p<0.05) but not different from adults (6.4+/-0.4
mmol/L p=NS). During the clamp, plasma glucose and insulin
concentrations were similar values in the three groups. In these
conditions, centenarians had a whole body glucose disposal (34.1+/
-0.6 [mu]mol/Kg FFM x min) greater than aged subjects (23.3+/-0.5
[mu]mol/Kg FFM x min p<0.01) but not different from adults
(34.6+/-0.5 [mu]mol/Kg x min p=NS). In conclusion our study
demonstrates that centenarians compared to aged subjects had a
preserved glucose tolerance and insulin action.
Received 6 July 1995; accepted in final form 14 November 1995.
APS Manuscript Number E313-5.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Endocrinol. Metab.).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 8 December 95