Fructosamine, glycated hemoglobin, and dietary carbohydrates.
BACKGROUND
Glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)), a marker of glycemia in the previous 3 months, was found to be associated with dietary saturated, fat but not with carbohydrates, in recent population surveys. Another nonenzymatically glycated substance in the blood, fructosamine, a marker of glycemia in the previous 3 weeks, is poorly correlated with HbA(1c) in nondiabetic subjects. The aim of this study is to compare the correlation of glycated hemoglobin and fructosamine with dietary carbohydrate intake in the same subjects.


METHODS
Seventy-one individuals from a cohort study on diet and cancer entered this study. Serum fructosamine was measured by a standard colorimetric method, and glycated hemoglobin by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Diet was measured by a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. The correlation of fructosamine and glycated hemoglobin with dietary variables, corrected for calories, was evaluated by multiple correlation.


RESULTS
Fructosamine was more strongly correlated with dietary sugar (r=0.26, p=0.05) than HbA(1c) was (r=0.001, p=0.99). Fructosamine was also inversely correlated with energy, and glycated hemoglobin with vitamin C.


CONCLUSIONS
Fructosamine appears to be more related to dietary sugar intake than glycated hemoglobin and may be a marker of exposure to dietary carbohydrates, particularly simple sugars, in epidemiological studies.
Misciagna
Giovanni
G
Laboratory of Epidemiology, IRCCS "S. De Bellis," Hospital for Digestive Diseases, Castellana, 70013 Bari, Italy. gmisciag@libero.it
Logroscino
Giancarlo
G
De Michele
Giampietro
G
Cisternino
Anna M
AM
Guerra
Vito
V
Freudenheim
Jo L
JL
D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D019270:Fructosamine / Q000097:blood*; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D001786:Blood Glucose; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats; D019270:Fructosamine; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin