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Updated: May 29, 2026
06:59
Characterization of Metabolic Status in Nonhuman Primates with the Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Test
Published on: November 13, 2016
Frailty status and altered glucose-insulin dynamics
Rita Rastogi Kalyani1, Ravi Varadhan, Carlos O Weiss
1Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1830 East Monument Street, Suite 333, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. rrastogi@jhmi.edu
Summary
Older women with frailty show abnormal glucose and insulin responses to a glucose load. This suggests impaired glucose metabolism is linked to frailty in the elderly.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Metabolic Health
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Frailty is a growing concern in aging populations.
- Understanding metabolic changes associated with frailty is crucial for health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between frailty status and the dynamic glucose and insulin response to an oral glucose challenge in elderly women.
Main Methods:
- A 75g oral glucose tolerance test was administered to 73 women aged 84-95 years.
- Frailty status was categorized as nonfrail, prefrail, or frail.
- Glucose and insulin levels were measured at multiple time points and analyzed using multiple linear regression.
Main Results:
- A significant proportion of older women exhibited prediabetes (48%) or undiagnosed diabetes (25%).
- Frail women demonstrated significantly higher glucose levels at 60 and 120 minutes post-glucose load compared to nonfrail women.
- Elevated insulin levels at 120 minutes and prolonged, exaggerated glucose-insulin responses were observed in frail individuals.
Conclusions:
- Dysregulation in glucose-insulin dynamics is a component of physiological vulnerability linked to frailty in older women.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the temporal relationship between abnormal glucose-insulin metabolism and frailty development.
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