High blood glucose impairs coronary vasodilation in diabetics
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In the heart muscle of type 1 diabetics, high blood glucose is a significant contributor to poorly opening vessels, or poor vasodilation, according a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Even administration of high levels of insulin, which usually enhances vasodilation, can’t counteract the negative effect of high glucose on the heart.
“Since it is typical for type 1 diabetics to periodically experience insulin deficits or increased blood glucose, we systematically isolated the effect of insulin and glucose to see which had a greater effect on dilation of blood vessels in these patients.”
The researchers measured the capacity of heart blood vessels to dilate in 20 patients with type 1 diabetes using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Other than their diabetes, the patients had no physical conditions, such as coronary disease, hypertension or high cholesterol, which would contribute to impaired vasodilation. The team used the drug adenosine to encourage dilation of the blood vessels of the heart, and at the same time they maintained constant insulin and glucose levels in the patients using an intravenous system.
The researchers found that in response to adenosine, patients maintained at high insulin and normal glucose levels increased the rate of blood flow in the heart about four fold. But patients maintained at high insulin and high glucose increased their heart blood flow rate only about two fold.
“We know that insulin has beneficial effects on vasodilation,” Gropler says. The study demonstrates the detrimental effect of high glucose levels on heart function and highlights the importance for diabetic patients of keeping their blood glucose within the normal range.
“It can be very challenging for diabetic patients to maintain normal blood sugar,” says co-author Janet B. McGill, M.D., associate professor of medicine. “But this study provides yet another reason to push for tight control of glucose levels. If instituted early enough, tight glycemic control may potentially reduce heart problems in diabetic patients.”
The study’s authors note that high blood glucose reduces production of nitrous oxide, a substance that contributes to vasodilation, and increases production of hormones that constrict blood vessels. It also increases oxidative stress in tissues of the body by altering cellular energy metabolism.
“The heart has become an organ of primary concern for endocrinologists and people with diabetes,” McGill says. Robert Gropler
Robert Gropler
“We are focusing on blood fat levels in this next study,” Gropler says. “We want to see if drugs that reduce blood fat levels and thus decrease fat delivery to the heart will have beneficial effects on the metabolism of heart muscle as well as blood flow and heart function.”
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