Plasma glucose and insulin responses to oral glucose in nonobese subjects and patients with endogenous hypertriglyceridemia

Abstract

Plasma glucose and insulin responses to a 50-gm oral glucose challenge were determined in 396 nonobese subjects: 220 patients with endogenous hypertriglyceridemia and 176 normal persons. These groups were further subdivided on the basis of relative body weight: 1.0–1.1 and 1.1–1.2. Patients with endogenous hypertriglyceridemia whose obesity index was between 1.0 and 1.1 had significantly increased plasma glucose (more than 25%, P < 0.001) and insulin (more than 18%, P < 0.01) responses. Similar findings were also observed in patients with endogenous hypertriglyceridemia whose index of obesity was between 1.1 and 1.2, ie, there was a 25% increase in the plasma glucose response ( P < 0.001) and a 37% increase in the plasma insulin response ( P < 0.001). Thus, endogenous hypertriglyceridemia can occur in nonobese individuals, and these patients have an increase in their plasma glucose and insulin responses when weight-matched with nonobese normal subjects.