Fructosamine, glycated hemoglobin, and dietary carbohydrates.

BACKGROUND

Glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)), a marker of glycemia in the previous 3 months, was found to be associated with dietary saturated, fat but not with carbohydrates, in recent population surveys. Another nonenzymatically glycated substance in the blood, fructosamine, a marker of glycemia in the previous 3 weeks, is poorly correlated with HbA(1c) in nondiabetic subjects. The aim of this study is to compare the correlation of glycated hemoglobin and fructosamine with dietary carbohydrate intake in the same subjects.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Seventy-one individuals from a cohort study on diet and cancer entered this study. Serum fructosamine was measured by a standard colorimetric method, and glycated hemoglobin by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Diet was measured by a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. The correlation of fructosamine and glycated hemoglobin with dietary variables, corrected for calories, was evaluated by multiple correlation.

RESULTS

Fructosamine was more strongly correlated with dietary sugar (r=0.26, p=0.05) than HbA(1c) was (r=0.001, p=0.99). Fructosamine was also inversely correlated with energy, and glycated hemoglobin with vitamin C.

CONCLUSIONS

Fructosamine appears to be more related to dietary sugar intake than glycated hemoglobin and may be a marker of exposure to dietary carbohydrates, particularly simple sugars, in epidemiological studies.