title: Age and glucose tolerance in healthy subjects.
abstract: An important and still controversial issue is the role played by the aging process itself in the metabolic alterations observed in aged people. We previously reported that a group of normal elderly people exhibited glucose disposal comparable to that of young controls. In the present study we investigated the effect of age on beta-cell secretion, by analyzing C-peptide measurements. Ten elderly men (E, 70 +/- 2 years) with normal oral glucose test and ten young subjects (Y, 27 +/- 1 years) with matching ideal body weight formed the study group. They were studied under highly dynamic conditions by means of a 0.3 g/kg i.v. glucose tolerance test. Fasting glucose and insulin were not different in the two groups (Y: 87 +/- 2 mg/di, E: 88 +/- 3, p greater than 0.1; Y: 50 +/- 7 pM, E: 36 +/- 7, p greater than 0.05). Glucose-insulin data set was analyzed by means of the minimal model of glucose disappearance which provided two parameters for every individual, yielding a quantitative description of glucose utilization: i.e., SI, the index of insulin sensitivity, and SG, the fractional glucose disappearance at basal insulin (glucose effectiveness). Both parameters were unaltered by age (SI = Y: 6.30 +/- 0.41 10(-4)min-1/(microU/ml), E: 7.11 +/- 0.72, p greater than 0.1; SG = Y: 0.020 +/- 0.003 min-1, E: 0.019 +/- 0.002, p greater than 0.1). C-peptide time course in elderly people was systematically lower than in the control group (basal levels: Y: 252 +/- 36 pM, E: 129 +/- 17, p less than 0.005).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Hospital, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Beccaro
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pacini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valerio
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nosadini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Crepaldi
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002096:C-Peptide / Q000097:blood; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D002096:C-Peptide; D007328:Insulin; D005947:Glucose