Increased disorderliness of basal insulin release, attenuated insulin secretory burst mass, and reduced ultradian rhythmicity of insulin secretion in older individuals

Graydon S. Meneilly, Alice S. Ryan, Johannes D. Veldhuis, Dariush Elahi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

85 Scopus citations

Abstract

Insulin is secreted in a pulsatile fashion. Rapid pulses are considered to be important for inhibiting hepatic glucose output, and ultradian pulses for stimulating peripheral glucose disposal. Aging is characterized by a progressive impairment in carbohydrate tolerance. We undertook the current studies to determine whether alterations in pulsatile insulin release accompany the age-related changes in carbohydrate metabolism. Healthy young (n = 8; body mass index, 21 ± 1 kg/m2; age, 24 ± 1 yr) and old (n = 9; body mass index, 24 ± 1 kg/m2; age, 77 ± 2 yr) volunteers underwent two studies. In the first study, insulin was sampled every 1 min for 150 min, and pulse analysis was conducted using a recently validated multiparameter deconvolution technique. In the second study, insulin was sampled every 10 min for 600 min, and insulin release was evaluated by Cluster analysis. In the 150-min studies, insulin secretory burst mass (P < 0.05) and amplitude (P < 0.01) were reduced in the elderly. In addition, approximate entropy, a measure of irregularity or disorderliness of insulin release, was increased in the aged (P < 0.01). In the 600-min studies, interpulse interval was greater in the aged (P < 0.05), and burst number was less (P < 0.05). We conclude that normal aging is characterized by more disorderly insulin release, a reduction in the amplitude and mass of rapid insulin pulses, and a decreased frequency of ultradian pulses. Whether these alterations in insulin pulsatility contribute directly to the age-related changes in carbohydrate metabolism will require further study.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)4088-4093
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Volume82
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - 1997

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Biochemistry
  • Endocrinology
  • Clinical Biochemistry
  • Biochemistry, medical

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