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Updated: Sep 2, 2026

Characterization of Metabolic Status in Nonhuman Primates with the Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Test
Published on: November 13, 2016
Blood Metabolomic Signatures of 1-Hour Glucose Predict Cardiometabolic Risk
Yoriko Heianza1,2, Minghao Kou1, Xuan Wang1
1Department of Epidemiology, Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA (Y.H., M.K., X.W., L.Q.).
Background:
Elevated 1-hour glucose levels during an oral glucose tolerance test strongly predict type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease. We investigated whether the fasting blood metabolome predicting 1-hour glucose could be a target for improving β-cell function, long-term glycemic trajectories, and reducing the risks of T2D and coronary heart disease. We also investigated whether plasma microRNAs derived from key metabolic organs regulate changes in a metabolomic risk score (MRS) for predicting 1-hour glucose.
Methods:
Untargeted blood metabolomics and a frequently sampled 75-g oral glucose tolerance test were performed in participants from the OmniCarb trial (n=162). In an independent weight-loss dietary intervention trial (POUNDS Lost [Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies]), temporal changes in MRS and plasma microRNAs measured by genome-wide sequencing were analyzed. In addition, associations of MRS at baseline and its 10-year changes with long-term risk of incident T2D and coronary heart disease were prospectively investigated in the NHS (Nurses' Health Study).
Results:
We created a fasting blood MRS for predicting 1-hour glucose (Pearson r=0.8) and found significant associations with half-day (diurnal) postprandial glucose excursions and insulin secretion after 5-week controlled feeding interventions varying in carbohydrate amount and glycemic index. In the POUNDS Lost trial, diet-induced changes in MRSs were related to 2-year trajectories of glucose metabolism; circulating microRNAs regulating cardiometabolic abnormalities were pivotal factors influencing these changes. In the NHS, women in the top 20% of MRS had a multivariate-adjusted relative risk of 3.80 (95% CI, 2.22-6.51) for T2D and 1.48 (95% CI, 1.04-2.12) for coronary heart disease compared with those in the lowest 20%. In addition, 10-year increases in plasma metabolites related to 1-hour glucose were linearly associated with a higher risk of T2D.
Conclusions:
Our findings indicate that fasting blood metabolomic signatures predicting elevated 1-hour glucose reflect disease pathophysiology and could be targets for preventing T2D and coronary heart disease.
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