Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026

Study of In Vivo Glucose Metabolism in High-fat Diet-fed Mice Using Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) and Insulin Tolerance Test (ITT)
Published on: January 7, 2018
Iatrogenic hyperinsulinemia in type 1 diabetes: its effect on atherogenic risk markers
May-Yun Wang1, Xinxin Yu, Young Lee
1Touchstone Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
Aims:
Insulin is lipogenic and may invoke inflammation. We wished to determine if well controlled human and mice with type 1 diabetes had iatrogenic hyperinsulinemia as an explanation for the increased rate of coronary artery disease (CAD) in type 1 diabetes.
Methods:
Type 1 diabetic subjects with HbA1C less than 7.0% had plasma insulin measured before and one hour after a Boost® challenge and a dose of subcutaneously administered insulin. These levels were compared with non-diabetic humans. Plasma insulin levels in well controlled NOD mice with type 1 diabetes were measured 3 h and 17 h after their usual dose of insulin. Hepatic cholesterol-relevant CAD and inflammation markers were measured in the NOD mice.
Result:
Marked iatrogenic hyperinsulinemia was observed in patients at levels of approximately two times higher than in non-diabetic controls. Similar findings were present in the NOD mice. Hepatic CAD risk markers were increased by insulin, but did not exceed normal expression levels in non-diabetic mice with lower insulin. In contrast, insulin-mediated stimulation of pro-inflammatory mediators TNF-α and IL-1β remained significantly higher in hyperinsulinemic NOD than non-diabetic mice.
Conclusion:
Optimal insulin therapy in mice and humans with type 1 diabetes causes iatrogenic hyperinsulinemia and subsequently promotes pro-inflammatory macrophage response independent of hepatic cholesterol-relevant CAD markers. The tight glycemic control in type 1 diabetes may thus increase the risk for atherogenesis via inflammation.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Type I Diabetes II: Pathophysiology
Insulin: Dosing Regimen and Adverse Effects
The basal dose constitutes about 40%-50% of the total daily dose, with the rest as premeal insulin. The mealtime insulin dose should mirror...
Type I Diabetes I: Introduction
Type I Diabetes III: Clinical Manifestations
Type II Diabetes II: Pathophysiology
Diabetes Mellitus: Overview and Type I Subtype
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin, and individuals with...

