High blood levels of the serum
C-peptide are linked to heart disease and death in people without diabetes,
according to a large study published in CMAJ (Canadian
Medical Association Journal).
Researchers looked at data from the Third Nutrition
and Health Examination Survey (NHANES III) and the NHANES III Linked Mortality
File to determine the link between C-peptide levels and death from all causes
as well as from heart disease. They looked at mortality data on 5902 adults
aged 40 years or older representative of the US population. People with high
serum C-peptide levels (higher than 1.018 nmol/L) had a 1.8- to 3.2-fold
increased risk of death from all causes as well as cardiovascular
disease-specific death compared with people with low C-peptide levels (lower
than 0.440 nmol/L). The risk increased as C-peptide levels increased.
"We found a significant
association between serum C-peptide levels and risk of all-cause,
cardiovascular-related disease and coronary artery-related mortality among
adults without diabetes," writes Dr. Kyoung-bok Min, Department of
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine,
Suwon, Republic of Korea, with coauthor.
The study authors found that
C-peptide levels were better at predicting mortality than other measures such
as glycated hemoglobin and fasting blood glucose. Although the reason for the
increased risk of death has not been determined, the authors suggest it may be
because of the relationship between C-peptide levels and risk factors for
atherogenic vascular issues.
"Our findings support the
potential relevance of serum C-peptide as a predictor of adverse health
outcomes and indicate that elevated C-peptide levels may be an important
predictive marker of an increased risk of death," they conclude.
Tomado de: sciencedaily.com