A common polymorphism in the promoter of the IGF-I gene associates with increased fasting serum triglyceride levels in glucose-tolerant subjects.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to examine if absence of a common allele in a microsatellite polymorphism in the insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) promoter was associated with type 2 diabetes and alterations in quantitative traits in glucose-tolerant subjects.

METHODS

The IGF-I promoter polymorphism was investigated in a case-control study comprising 694 type 2 diabetic patients and 218 glucose-tolerant control subjects, and in two genotype-quantitative trait studies involving 208 glucose-tolerant first-degree offspring of type 2 diabetic patients and 218 unrelated middle-aged subjects with normal glucose tolerance.

RESULTS

No associations were found between the lack of the common promoter allele and type 2 diabetes (P = 0.25) or estimates of glucose metabolism in glucose-tolerant subjects. Presence of the wild-type allele was associated with an increase in fasting serum triglyceride levels in the group of 208 glucose-tolerant first-degree offspring of type 2 diabetic patients (P = 0.002). This finding was replicated in an independent sample of 218 unrelated middle-aged subjects with normal glucose tolerance (P = 0.007).

CONCLUSION

The present study provides evidence that the common wild-type allele of the IGF-I promoter polymorphism is associated with increased levels of fasting serum triglyceride in glucose-tolerant whites.