Simple Blood Test May Identify CVD in Diabetes Patients
In a new study, researchers found an association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which could lead to more personalized care for patients with type 2 diabetes.1
“GLP-1 is produced by intestinal cells, and its main action is to stimulate insulin secretion from beta cells, but the hormone also has a beneficial effect on the heart and blood vessels that is independent from its action on insulin secretion,” said Allessandro Doria, MD, senior investigator in the Section on Genetics & Epidemiology at Joslin Diabetes Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.2
____________________________________________________________________________
RELATED CONTENT
Diabetes Worsens HF Risk in Heart Disease Patients
Diabetes Treatment Improves Risk of All Cause, CV Mortality
____________________________________________________________________________
Doria and his colleagues assessed this link between GLP-1 and CVD by examining 65 biomarkers using blood samples from 351 participants who were involved in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial. Participants were separated into intensive and standard glycemic control groups.
Blood samples were collected at baseline and at 12 month follow-up. The researchers compared associations between various biomarkers and 2 genetic variants associated with CVD (rs57922 and rs9299870).
Their analysis showed that participants with the genetic variant rs57922 had experienced a significant drop in GLP-1 during the 12 months of intensive glycemic control, while those without this variant had stable or increased GLP-1 levels. No association was found among participants who had received standard treatment.
“These findings highlight the importance of GLP-1 as a cardioprotective factor,” the researchers concluded.1
Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings, and Doria and his colleagues intend to conduct additional investigations using cells to better understand the relationship between rs57922 and GLP-1.
—Melissa Weiss
References:
1) Shah HS, Morieri ML, Marcovina SM, et al. Modulation of GLP-1 levels by a genetic variant that regulates the cardiovascular effects of intensive glycemic control in ACCORD. 2017;40(12). https://doi.org/10.2337/dc17-1638.
2) Trial suggests way to personalize heart health in diabetes [press release]. Boston, MA: Joslin Diabetes Center; November 29, 2017. http://www.joslin.org/news/Trial-Suggests-Way-to-Personalize-Heart-Health-in-Diabetes.html. Accessed November 30, 2017.