TGF-β1 and incident type 2 diabetes Results from the MONICA/KORA case-cohort study, 1984–2002
- Christian Herder, PHD, MSC1,
- Astrid Zierer, PHD2,
- Wolfgang Koenig, MD (wolfgang.koenig{at}uniklinik-ulm.de)3,
- Michael Roden, MD1,4,
- Christa Meisinger, MD, MPH2 and
- Barbara Thorand, PHD, MPH2
- From the 1Institute of Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Center, Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- the 2Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- the 3Department of Internal Medicine II-Cardiology, University of Ulm Medical Center, Ulm, Germany; and
- the4Department of Medicine/Metabolic Diseases, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
Abstract
Objective --- Subclinical inflammation leads to insulin resistance and β cell dysfunction. This study aimed to assess whether levels of circulating TGF-β1, a central, mainly immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory cytokine, were associated with incident type 2 diabetes.
Research Design and Methods --- We measured serum levels of TGF-β1 from 460 individuals with and 1,474 individuals without incident type 2 diabetes in a prospective case-cohort study within the population-based MONICA/KORA Augsburg cohort.
Results --- Elevated TGF-β1 concentrations were associated with higher, not lower, risk for type 2 diabetes (age, sex and survey-adjusted HR (95%CI) for increasing TGF-β1 tertiles: 1.0; 1.08 (0.83–1.42); 1.41 (1.08–1.83); P(trend)=0.012). Adjustment for BMI, metabolic and lifestyle factors had virtually no impact on the effect size.
Conclusions --- Elevated serum concentrations of the cytokine TGF-β1 indicate an increased risk for type 2 diabetes. TGF-β1 may be upregulated to counterbalance metabolic and immunological disturbances preceding type 2 diabetes.
Footnotes
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- Received March 10, 2009.
- Accepted July 3, 2009.
- Copyright © American Diabetes Association
