TY - JOUR
T1 - Three hours of intermittent hypoxia increases circulating glucose levels in healthy adults
AU - Newhouse, Lauren P.
AU - Joyner, Michael J.
AU - Curry, Timothy B.
AU - Laurenti, Marcello C.
AU - Man, Chiara Dalla
AU - Cobelli, Claudio
AU - Vella, Adrian
AU - Limberg, Jacqueline K.
N1 - Funding Information:
National Institutes of Health DK 90541 (MJJ), HL83947 (MJJ), HL120570 (JKL), HL130339 (JKL). American Heart Association 15SDG25080095 (JKL).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.
PY - 2017/1/1
Y1 - 2017/1/1
N2 - An independent association exists between sleep apnea and diabetes. Animal models suggest exposure to intermittent hypoxia, a consequence of sleep apnea, results in altered glucose metabolism and fasting hyperglycemia. However, it is unknown if acute exposure to intermittent hypoxia increases glucose concentrations in nondiabetic humans. We hypothesized plasma glucose would be increased from baseline following 3 h of intermittent hypoxia in healthy humans independent of any effect on insulin sensitivity. Eight (7M/1F, 21–34 years) healthy subjects completed two study visits randomized to 3 h of intermittent hypoxia or continuous normoxia, followed by an oral glucose tolerance test. Intermittent hypoxia consisted of 25 hypoxic events per hour where oxygen saturation (SpO2) was significantly reduced (Normoxia: 97 ± 1%, Hypoxia: 90 ± 2%, P < 0.01). Venous plasma glucose concentrations were measured on both visits before and after the 3 h protocol. No changes in plasma glucose were observed from baseline after 3 h of continuous normoxia (5.1 ± 0.2 vs. 5.1 ± 0.1 mmol/L, P > 0.05). In contrast, circulating glucose concentrations were increased after 3 h of intermittent hypoxia when compared to baseline (5.0 ± 0.2 vs. 5.3 ± 0.2 mmol/L, P = 0.01). There were no detectable changes in insulin sensitivity following intermittent hypoxia when compared to continuous normoxia, as assessed by the oral glucose tolerance test (P > 0.05). Circulating glucose is increased after 3 h of intermittent hypoxia in healthy humans, independent of any lasting changes in insulin sensitivity. These novel findings could explain, in part, the high prevalence of diabetes in patients with sleep apnea and warrant future studies to identify underlying mechanisms.
AB - An independent association exists between sleep apnea and diabetes. Animal models suggest exposure to intermittent hypoxia, a consequence of sleep apnea, results in altered glucose metabolism and fasting hyperglycemia. However, it is unknown if acute exposure to intermittent hypoxia increases glucose concentrations in nondiabetic humans. We hypothesized plasma glucose would be increased from baseline following 3 h of intermittent hypoxia in healthy humans independent of any effect on insulin sensitivity. Eight (7M/1F, 21–34 years) healthy subjects completed two study visits randomized to 3 h of intermittent hypoxia or continuous normoxia, followed by an oral glucose tolerance test. Intermittent hypoxia consisted of 25 hypoxic events per hour where oxygen saturation (SpO2) was significantly reduced (Normoxia: 97 ± 1%, Hypoxia: 90 ± 2%, P < 0.01). Venous plasma glucose concentrations were measured on both visits before and after the 3 h protocol. No changes in plasma glucose were observed from baseline after 3 h of continuous normoxia (5.1 ± 0.2 vs. 5.1 ± 0.1 mmol/L, P > 0.05). In contrast, circulating glucose concentrations were increased after 3 h of intermittent hypoxia when compared to baseline (5.0 ± 0.2 vs. 5.3 ± 0.2 mmol/L, P = 0.01). There were no detectable changes in insulin sensitivity following intermittent hypoxia when compared to continuous normoxia, as assessed by the oral glucose tolerance test (P > 0.05). Circulating glucose is increased after 3 h of intermittent hypoxia in healthy humans, independent of any lasting changes in insulin sensitivity. These novel findings could explain, in part, the high prevalence of diabetes in patients with sleep apnea and warrant future studies to identify underlying mechanisms.
KW - Hyperglycemia
KW - insulin resistance
KW - oral glucose tolerance test
KW - sleep apnea
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U2 - 10.14814/phy2.13106
DO - 10.14814/phy2.13106
M3 - Article
C2 - 28087818
AN - SCOPUS:85009204412
VL - 5
JO - Physiological Reports
JF - Physiological Reports
SN - 2051-817X
IS - 1
M1 - e13106
ER -