Chronic undernutrition may accentuate the beta cell dysfunction of type 2 diabetes

Seven undernourished and seven obese, insulin-requiring type 2 diabetic subjects, who were matched for age, sex, and duration of diabetes, were subjected to oral glucose tolerance tests. Although fasting glucose and free insulin levels were similar in both groups, glucose tolerance was markedly worse in the undernourished subjects, with a mean incremental glucose area (+/- SE) of 22.8 +/- 2.3 mmol/l.h vs. 12.4 +/- 1.3 in the obese diabetic subjects (P less than 0.001). The incremental insulin response (area under the curve) to oral glucose in the undernourished group (39.3 +/- 7.9 mU/l.h) was 50% lower than the response in both the obese group (89.2 +/- 19.9, P less than 0.001) and a group of non-diabetic, normal weight-for-height subjects (77.1 +/- 5.7, P less than 0.01). Peak insulin levels were similarly reduced to approximately half the levels seen in the obese and control groups (P less than 0.01). Undernutrition is known to impair both glucose tolerance and insulin secretory reserve by reducing the beta cell number, size, and granulation. It is concluded that chronic undernutrition accentuates beta cell dysfunction in undernourished diabetics, leading to increased glucose intolerance.