Relatively Low β-Cell Responsiveness Contributes to the Association of BMI with Circulating Glucose Concentrations Measured under Free-Living Conditions among Pregnant African American Women.

Background: Body mass index (BMI, in kg/m(2)) is positively associated with plasma glucose in late pregnancy and with risk of adverse obstetric outcomes. Much of the existing research uses single-clinic measures of plasma glucose, which may not accurately reflect circulating glucose under free-living conditions. Furthermore, little is known about circulating glucose concentrations of African American women, who tend to have poorer diet quality and a greater risk of obstetric complications.

Association of late-night carbohydrate intake with glucose tolerance among pregnant African American women.

Obesity and late-night food consumption are associated with impaired glucose tolerance. Late-night carbohydrate consumption may be particularly detrimental during late pregnancy because insulin sensitivity declines as pregnancy progresses. Further, women who were obese (Ob) prior to pregnancy have lower insulin sensitivity than do women of normal weight (NW).

Associations of total and undercarboxylated osteocalcin with peripheral and hepatic insulin sensitivity and β-cell function in overweight adults.

Context: Animal studies indicate that osteocalcin (OC), particularly the undercarboxylated isoform (unOC), affects insulin sensitivity and secretion, but definitive data from humans are lacking.

Objective: The objectives of the study were to determine whether total OC and unOC are independently associated with insulin sensitivity and β-cell response in overweight/obese adults; whether glucose tolerance status affects these associations; and whether the associations are independent of bone formation, as reflected in procollagen type 1 amino propeptide (P1NP).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at a university research center involving 63 overweight/obese adults with normal (n = 39) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG; n = 24).

Use of a simple liquid meal test to evaluate insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function in children.

Insulin sensitivity and β-cell function are useful indices of metabolic disease risk but are difficult to assess in young children because of the invasive nature of commonly used methodology. A meal-based method for assessing insulin sensitivity and β-cell function may at least partially alleviate concerns. The objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the association of insulin sensitivity assessed by liquid meal test with that determined by an insulin-modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGT); (ii) examine the association of insulin sensitivity derived from each test with measures of body composition, fat distribution and metabolic health (lipids, fasting insulin and glucose, and surrogate indices of insulin sensitivity); and (iii) examine the associations of indices of β-cell function derived from each test with total and regional adiposity.