Fasting glucagon-like peptide-1 and its relation to insulin in obese children before and after weight loss.

OBJECTIVE

To study the relationships between glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), weight status, insulin, and insulin resistance in the fasting state.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Fasting GLP-1, glucose and insulin concentrations, insulin resistance index as homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), body mass index (BMI), and percentage body fat based on skinfold thickness measurements were determined in 42 obese (median age 11 years) and in 16 lean children of the same age. The HOMA model was used to calculate degree of insulin resistance. Furthermore, the changes in GLP-1, glucose, insulin, and HOMA in the course of 1 year were analyzed in the 42 obese children participating in an obesity intervention.

RESULTS

GLP-1 concentrations did not differ significantly between obese and lean children. In multiple linear regression analyses, GLP-1 was significantly related to insulin (P = 0.028) and HOMA (P = 0.019) but not to glucose, age, sex, pubertal stage, BMI, or percentage body fat. The 15 obese children with substantial weight reduction demonstrated significantly (P < 0.05) decreased GLP-1, insulin, and HOMA levels, whereas these parameters did not change in 27 obese children without substantial weight loss. Changes in GLP-1 correlated significantly with changes in insulin (r = 0.46, P = 0.001) and HOMA (r = 0.28, P = 0.036) but not with changes in glucose, BMI, or percentage of body fat.

CONCLUSIONS

In children, fasting GLP-1 concentrations are independent of age, sex, and pubertal stage. Although GLP-1 did not differ between lean and obese children, weight loss was associated with decreasing GLP-1. Inasmuch as GLP-1 levels were related to insulin concentrations in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, we hypothesize a relationship between GLP-1 and insulin in the fasting state.