Correlation between high density lipoprotein cholesterol and C-peptide in sulfonylurea-treated diabetic patients

The aim of this study was to assess the possible relationship between high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations and endogenous insulin secretion, as measured by basal serum C-peptide secretion. Eighty-nine non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients (NIDDs) being treated with sulfonylureas were studied. There were 47 men and 42 women matched for age, body mass index (BMI), duration of diabetes and glycemic control. Blood samples were taken after an overnight fast. HDL-C concentrations were significantly lower in males (45.9 +/- 11.2 mg/dl) than in females (52.9 +/- 13.1 mg/dl) (p less than 0.01). There was a negative correlation between C-peptide and HDL-C (males r = -0.40, p less than 0.01; females r = -0.42, p less than 0.01), and a positive correlation between C-peptide and serum triglyceride (Tg) (males r = +0.36, p less than 0.05; females r = +0.31, p less than 0.05).