Top

Diabetologia

Published in:

01-12-2012 | Article

Adult glucose metabolism in extremely birthweight-discordant monozygotic twins

Authors: M. Frost, I. Petersen, K. Brixen, H. Beck-Nielsen, J. J. Holst, L. Christiansen, K. Højlund, K. Christensen

Published in: Diabetologia | Issue 12/2012

Abstract

Aims/hypothesis

Low birthweight (BW) is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes. We compared glucose metabolism in adult BW-discordant monozygotic (MZ) twins, thereby controlling for genetic factors and rearing environment.

Methods

Among 77,885 twins in the Danish Twin Registry, 155 of the most BW-discordant MZ twin pairs (median BW difference 0.5 kg) were assessed using a 2 h oral glucose tolerance test with sampling of plasma (p-)glucose, insulin, C-peptide, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide-1. HOMA for beta cell function (HOMA-β) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and also insulin sensitivity index (BIGTT-SI) and acute insulin response (BIGTT-AIR), were calculated. Subgroup analyses were performed in those with: (1) double verification of BW difference; (2) difference in BW >0.5 kg; and (3) no overt metabolic disease (type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidaemia or thyroid disease).

Results

No intra-pair differences in p-glucose, insulin, C-peptide, incretin hormones, HOMA-β, HOMA-IR or BIGTT-SI were identified. p-Glucose at 120 min was higher in the twins with the highest BW without metabolic disease, and BIGTT-AIR was higher in those with the highest BW although not in pairs with a BW difference of >0.5 kg.

Conclusions/interpretation

BW-discordant MZ twins provide no evidence for a detrimental effect of low BW on glucose metabolism in adulthood once genetic factors and rearing environment are controlled for.

Available only for authorised users

Seshasai SR, Kaptoge S, Thompson A et al (2011) Diabetes mellitus, fasting glucose, and risk of cause-specific death. N Eng J Med 364:829–841CrossRef

Stumvoll M, Goldstein BJ, van Haeften TW (2008) Type 2 diabetes: pathogenesis and treatment. Lancet 371:2153–2156PubMedCrossRef

Petersen I, Nielsen MM, Beck-Nielsen H, Christensen K (2011) No evidence of a higher 10 year period prevalence of diabetes among 77,885 twins compared with 215,264 singletons from the Danish birth cohorts 1910-1989. Diabetologia 54:2016–2024PubMedCrossRef

Barker DJP (1998) Mothers, babies, and health in later life. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh

Whincup PH, Kaye SJ, Owen CG et al (2008) Birth weight and risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review. JAMA 300:2886–2897PubMedCrossRef

Lukaszewski MA, Mayeur S, Fajardy I et al (2011) Maternal prenatal undernutrition programs adipose tissue gene expression in adult male rat offspring under high-fat diet. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 301:E548–E559PubMedCrossRef

Tarry-Adkins JL, Chen JH, Jones RH, Smith NH, Ozanne SE (2010) Poor maternal nutrition leads to alterations in oxidative stress, antioxidant defense capacity, and markers of fibrosis in rat islets: potential underlying mechanisms for development of the diabetic phenotype in later life. FASEB J 24:2762–2771PubMedCrossRef

Poulsen P, Grunnet LG, Pilgaard K et al (2009) Increased risk of type 2 diabetes in elderly twins. Diabetes 58:1350–1355PubMedCrossRef

Liu YC, Blair EM (2002) Predicted birthweight for singletons and twins. Twin Res 5:529–537PubMed

10.

Johansson S, Iliadou A, Bergvall N et al (2008) The association between low birth weight and type 2 diabetes: contribution of genetic factors. Epidemiology 19:659–665PubMedCrossRef

11.

Skytthe A, Kyvik KO, Holm NV, Christensen K (2011) The Danish Twin Registry. Scand J Public Health 39:75–78PubMedCrossRef

12.

Christiansen L, Frederiksen H, Schousboe K et al (2003) Age- and sex-differences in the validity of questionnaire-based zygosity in twins. Twin Res 6:275–278PubMed

13.

Deacon CF, Nauck MA, Meier J, Hucking K, Holst JJ (2000) Degradation of endogenous and exogenous gastric inhibitory polypeptide in healthy and in type 2 diabetic subjects as revealed using a new assay for the intact peptide. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 85:3575–3581PubMedCrossRef

14.

Matthews DR, Hosker JP, Rudenski AS et al (1985) Homeostasis model assessment: insulin resistance and beta-cell function from fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in man. Diabetologia 28: 412–419

15.

Hansen T, Drivsholm T, Urhammer SA et al (2007) The BIGTT test: a novel test for simultaneous measurement of pancreatic beta-cell function, insulin sensitivity, and glucose tolerance. Diabetes Care 30:257–262PubMedCrossRef

16.

Weyer C, Bogardus C, Mott DM, Pratley RE (1999) The natural history of insulin secretory dysfunction and insulin resistance in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. J Clin Invest 104:787–794PubMedCrossRef

17.

Bartoli E, Fra GP, Carnevale Schianca GP (2011) The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) revisited. Eur J Intern Med 22:8–12PubMedCrossRef

18.

Holst JJ, Gromada J (2004) Role of incretin hormones in the regulation of insulin secretion in diabetic and nondiabetic humans. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 287:E199–E206PubMedCrossRef

19.

Holst JJ, Knop FK, Vilsboll T, Krarup T, Madsbad S (2011) Loss of incretin effect is a specific, important, and early characteristic of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 34(Suppl 2):S251–S257PubMedCrossRef

20.

Poulsen P, Vaag AA, Kyvik KO, Moller Jensen D, Beck-Nielsen H (1997) Low birth weight is associated with NIDDM in discordant monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs. Diabetologia 40:439–446PubMedCrossRef

21.

Poulsen P, Vaag A, Beck-Nielsen H (1999) Does zygosity influence the metabolic profile of twins? A population based cross sectional study. BMJ 319:151–154PubMedCrossRef

22.

Poulsen P, Vaag A (2006) The intrauterine environment as reflected by birth size and twin and zygosity status influences insulin action and intracellular glucose metabolism in an age- or time-dependent manner. Diabetes 55:1819–1825PubMedCrossRef

23.

Jefferies CA, Hofman PL, Knoblauch H et al (2004) Insulin resistance in healthy prepubertal twins. J Pediatr 144:608–613PubMedCrossRef

24.

Bo S, Cavallo-Perin P, Scaglione L, Ciccone G, Pagano G (2000) Low birthweight and metabolic abnormalities in twins with increased susceptibility to Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabet Med 17:365–370PubMedCrossRef

25.

Baird J, Osmond C, MacGregor A et al (2001) Testing the fetal origins hypothesis in twins: the Birmingham twin study. Diabetologia 44:33–39PubMedCrossRef

26.

Skidmore PM, Cassidy A, Swaminathan R et al (2008) Relation of birth weight, body mass index, and change in size from birth to adulthood to insulin resistance in a female twin cohort. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 93:516–520PubMedCrossRef

27.

Dube J, Dodds L, Armson BA (2002) Does chorionicity or zygosity predict adverse perinatal outcomes in twins? Am J Obstet Gynecol 186:579–583PubMedCrossRef

28.

Carroll SG, Tyfield L, Reeve L et al (2005) Is zygosity or chorionicity the main determinant of fetal outcome in twin pregnancies? Am J Obstet Gynecol 193:757–761PubMedCrossRef

29.

Hack KE, Derks JB, Elias SG et al (2008) Increased perinatal mortality and morbidity in monochorionic versus dichorionic twin pregnancies: clinical implications of a large Dutch cohort study. BJOG 115:58–67PubMed

30.

Loos RJ, Beunen G, Fagard R, Derom C, Vlietinck R (2001) The influence of zygosity and chorion type on fat distribution in young adult twins consequences for twin studies. Twin Res 4:356–364PubMed

31.

Wilson RS (1979) Twin growth: initial deficit, recovery, and trends in concordance from birth to nine years. Ann Hum Biol 6:205–220PubMedCrossRef

32.

Christensen K, Vaupel JW, Holm NV, Yashin AI (1995) Mortality among twins after age 6: fetal origins hypothesis versus twin method. BMJ 310:432–436PubMedCrossRef

33.

Hattersley AT, Tooke JE (1999) The fetal insulin hypothesis: an alternative explanation of the association of low birthweight with diabetes and vascular disease. Lancet 353:1789–1792PubMedCrossRef

34.

Pearson ER, Boj SF, Steele AM et al (2007) Macrosomia and hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia in patients with heterozygous mutations in the HNF4A gene. PLoS Med 4:e118PubMedCrossRef

35.

Freathy RM, Mook-Kanamori DO, Sovio U et al (2010) Variants in ADCY5 and near CCNL1 are associated with fetal growth and birth weight. Nat Genet 42:430–435PubMedCrossRef

36.

Feskens EJ, Bowles CH, Kromhout D (1991) Intra- and interindividual variability of glucose tolerance in an elderly population. J Clin Epidemiol 44:947–953PubMedCrossRef

37.

Schousboe K, Henriksen JE, Kyvik KO, Sorensen TI, Hyltoft Petersen P (2002) Reproducibility of S-insulin and B-glucose responses in two identical oral glucose tolerance tests. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 62:623–630PubMedCrossRef

Title: Adult glucose metabolism in extremely birthweight-discordant monozygotic twins
Authors: M. Frost
I. Petersen
K. Brixen
H. Beck-Nielsen
J. J. Holst
L. Christiansen
K. Højlund
K. Christensen
Publication date: 01-12-2012
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: Diabetologia / Issue 12/2012
Print ISSN: 0012-186X
Electronic ISSN: 1432-0428
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-012-2695-x

Live Webinar | 27-06-2024 | 18:00 (CEST)

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Reserve your place

Live: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

WHO estimates that half of all patients worldwide are non-adherent to their prescribed medication. The consequences of poor adherence can be catastrophic, on both the individual and population level.

Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.

Prof. Kevin Dolgin

Prof. Florian Limbourg

Prof. Anoop Chauhan

Developed by: Springer Medicine

Obesity Clinical Trial Summary

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.

Developed by: Springer Medicine

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Aims/hypothesis

Methods

Results

Conclusions/interpretation

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 12/2012

Depletion of homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 3 impairs insulin secretion and glucose tolerance in mice

Clinical evolution of beta cell function in youth with diabetes: the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study

Potential inaccuracy in recording the presence of diabetes in people with amputations of the lower limb in hospitals in England. Reply to Ahmed M, Moulik P and Macleod A [letter]

Multilevel examination of diabetes in modernising China: what elements of urbanisation are most associated with diabetes?

TCF7L2 promotes beta cell regeneration in human and mouse pancreas

Insulin and cardiovascular disease: biomarker or association?

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Live: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

At a glance: The STEP trials