Relationship between β-cell responsiveness and fasting plasma glucose in Caucasian subjects with newly presenting Type 2 diabetes

Aims  β-cell responsiveness was related to fasting plasma glucose to gain further understanding of pathophysiology of Type 2 diabetes. Methods  An insulin secretion model gave fasting β-cell responsiveness M0 (ability of fasting glucose to stimulate β-cell) and postprandial β-cell responsiveness MI (ability of postprandial glucose to stimulate β-cell) by analysing glucose and C-peptide time-concentration curves sampled every 10–30 min over 240 min during a meal tolerance test (MTT; 75 g CHO, 500 kcal). Caucasian subjects with newly presenting Type 2 diabetes according to WHO criteria (N = 83, male/female: 65 : 18, age: 54 ± 10 years, body mass index (BMI): 30.9 ± 5.2 kg/m2, fasting plasma glucose (FPG): 11.0 ± 3.2 mmol/L; mean ± SD) and Caucasian healthy subjects (N = 54, m/f: 21 : 33, age: 48 ± 9 years, BMI: 26.1 ± 3.7 kg/m2, FPG: 5.1 ± 0.4 mmol/L) were studied. Results  A continuum inverse relationship between MI and FPG was observed. In the diabetes group, MI was closely related to FPG (rs = −0.74, P < 0.0001) and explained 60% intersubject FPG variability with the use of an exponential regression model. Conclusions  In newly presenting Type 2 diabetes in Caucasian subjects a close inverse association exists between postprandial β-cell responsiveness and FPG. Diabet. Med. 18, 797–802 (2001)