Context: Premenopausal women are at a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared to men, but the underlying mechanism(s) remain elusive. The secretion of the incretin hormones, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), from the small intestine is a major determinant of glucose homeostasis and may be influenced by sex.
Objectives: This study compared blood glucose and plasma insulin and incretin responses to intraduodenal glucose infusions in healthy young males and females.
Design: In Study 1, 9 women and 20 men received an intraduodenal glucose infusion at 2 kcal/min for 60 minutes. In Study 2, 10 women and 26 men received an intraduodenal glucose at 3 kcal/min for 60 minutes. Venous blood was sampled every 15 minutes for measurements of blood glucose and plasma insulin, GLP-1 and GIP.
Results: In response to intraduodenal glucose at 2 kcal/min, the incremental area under the curve between t = 0-60 minutes (iAUC0-60min) for blood glucose and plasma GIP did not differ between the 2 groups. However, iAUC0-60min for plasma GLP-1 (P = 0.016) and insulin (P = 0.011) were ∼2-fold higher in women than men. In response to intraduodenal glucose at 3 kcal/min, iAUC0-60min for blood glucose, plasma GIP, and insulin did not differ between women and men, but GLP-1 iAUC0-60min was 2.5-fold higher in women (P = 0.012).
Conclusion: Healthy young women exhibit comparable GIP but a markedly greater GLP-1 response to intraduodenal glucose than men. This disparity warrants further investigations to delineate the underlying mechanisms and may be of relevance to the reduced risk of diabetes in premenopausal women when compared to men.
Keywords: blood glucose; gender; incretin hormones; insulin; intraduodenal glucose; type 2 diabetes.
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society.