Older Subjects With beta-Cell Dysfunction Have an Accentuated Incretin Release

Research Design: A total of 40 young (25 +/- 3 years) and 53 older (74 +/- 7 years) lean nondiabetic subjects underwent a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Based on the OGTT, subjects were divided into three groups: young subjects with normal glucose tolerance (Y-NGT; n = 40), older subjects with normal glucose tolerance (O-NGT; n = 32), and older subjects with IGT (O-IGT; n = 21).

Objective: Insulin secretion (IS) declines with age, which increases the risk of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in older adults. IS is regulated by the incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP). Here we tested the hypotheses that incretin release is lower in older adults and that this decline is associated with beta-cell dysfunction.