Aim: Although accumulating evidence suggests that osteocalcin, which is secreted in circulation specifically from osteoblasts, is involved in glucose and lipid metabolism, it is unclear whether serum osteocalcin is associated with atherosclerosis parameter in humans.
Subjects and methods: We monitored chronological changes in bone turnover markers and a parameter of atherosclerosis, plaque score (PS), during glycemic control in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes, and analyzed relationships among these parameters.
Results: Multiple regression analysis showed that changes in osteocalcin were negatively correlated with changes in HbA(1c) (β = -0.38, p = 0.01). Baseline osteocalcin was negatively correlated with changes in triglycerides (β = -0.29, p = 0.03) and positively with changes in HDL-cholesterol (β = 0.31, p = 0.03), and that changes in osteocalcin were negatively correlated with baseline triglyceride (β = -0.35, p = 0.02). Changes in osteocalcin were positively correlated with baseline PS (β = 0.35, p = 0.01) and negatively with changes in PS (β = -0.30, p < 0.05) independent of other conventional risk factors of atherosclerosis.
Conclusion: These findings indicated the association between serum osteocalcin and glucose and lipid metabolism as well as an atherosclerosis parameter independently of other atherosclerosis-related risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes, suggesting that osteocalcin is important for not only bone metabolism but also glucose and lipid metabolism as well as atherosclerosis.
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