The effects of miglitol on glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion and appetite sensations in obese type 2 diabetics

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at Glucagon.

This study was performed to analyse the effect of miglitol, a more potent second generation AGI with fewer gastrointestinal side-effects, on the regulation of meal-related GLP-1 secretion and on the change of insulin-glucose dynamics as well as the release of gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), another incretin hormone, after stimulation by an ordinary meal in obese type-2-diabetic subjects.

Miglitol's subsequent influences on appetite sensations and food intake were also measured.

Appetite ratings with visual analogue scales (VASs) were used to assess ingestive behaviour hourly just before breakfast and hourly after for 6 h until immediately before lunch.

Why It Was Studied

Previous studies reported that administration of first generation alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs), such as voglibose or acarbose, produced exaggerated and sustained postprandial responses of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an incretin hormone from the enteroinsular axis, in healthy humans.

Little is known about the postprandial release of GLP-1 after AGI therapy in diabetics.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, women only.

On day 3 of each treatment period (miglitol or placebo), measurements of GLP-1, GIP, insulin and glucose were taken periodically during 3 h after eating a 720 kcal breakfast.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Glucagon and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Blinding on both sides kept the participants and researchers unaware of who received Glucagon.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Glucagon group a baseline to be compared against.

The number of tuna sandwiches eaten at lunch was used to measure food consumption.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are 1-Deoxynojirimycin, Appetite, Diabetes Mellitus, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide, Glucagon and Glucagon-Like Peptide 1.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Glucagon.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 10 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2002 (Diabetes, obesity & metabolism), a journal based in England.

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