Effect of 6-week course of glucagon-like peptide 1 on glycaemic control, insulin sensitivity, and beta-cell function in type 2 diabetes: a parallel-group study

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Glucagon, published as a controlled clinical trial.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) has been proposed as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.

The researchers have investigated the long-term effects of continuous administration of this peptide hormone in a 6-week pilot study.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 20 patients taking part.

PubMed indexes the participants as middle-aged adults, both men and women.

Before (week 0) and at weeks 1 and 6, they underwent beta-cell function tests (hyperglycaemic clamps), 8 h profiles of plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide, glucagon, and free fatty acids, and appetite and side-effect ratings on 100 mm visual analogue scales; at weeks 0 and 6 they also underwent dexascanning, measurement of insulin sensitivity (hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamps), haemoglobin A(1c), and fructosamine.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as pilot.

It is described as a pilot, a small early test of whether a larger Glucagon study would be practical.

The primary endpoints were haemoglobin A(1c) concentration, 8-h profile of glucose concentration in plasma, and beta-cell function (defined as the first-phase response to glucose and the maximum insulin secretory capacity of the cell).

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Blood Glucose, C-Peptide, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Fasting, Glucagon, Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 and Insulin.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a pilot study of Glucagon in 20 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Its findings take up roughly 9 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2002 (Lancet (London, England)), a journal based in England.

More context: the Glucagon compound page, all human trials.