Factors Influencing Glucose, Insulin and Free Fatty Acid Response to Glucose Load in Pregnant Indian Women

Abstract

Oral glucose tolerance tests with 75g of glucose were carried out in 80 pregnant and 22 non pregnant women. Plasma glucose, insulin, and free fatty acid (FFA) were analysed in the venous blood samples obtained at 0, 30, 60, 120, and 180min after the glucose load. The results indicated that there was no impairment of glucose tolerance in women with different body weights, at different points of gestation or with different fat fold thickness. However, higher plasma insulin and FFA levels were observed in women with higher body weights as compared with the levels in women with lower body weight with both 75g and 1g/kg body weight of glucose load. Plasma insulin levels did not return to the basal values even at the end of 3h with a 75g load; while with a 1g/kg load, return to basal was seen at the end of 2h.These observations suggest that women with lower body weight might have an increased peripheral glucose utilisation or an enhanced transport of glucose to the placental pool as indicated by rapid clearance of plasma glucose.