A Study of Racial Differences in Natriuretic Peptides Response to Glucose Challenge
A Study of Racial Differences in Natriuretic Peptides Response to Glucose Challenge
The purpose of the study is to discover any racial dissimilarity in the response of Natriuretic peptide (NP) system to acute metabolic influences such as a high carbohydrate challenge
Previous studies have shown an association between reduced levels of circulating natriuretic peptides (NPs) and obesity in humans. This association is especially pronounced in those with metabolic syndrome traits and elevated plasma insulin. As previously conducted study has shown that an increase in NPs with weight loss in obese individuals is "primary" and not secondary to alteration in cardiac structure or function.
Previous experimental data suggests that Atrial NP (ANP) has a wide range of favorable metabolic effects including that activation of brown fat and improvement in skeletal muscle oxidative capacity and glucose utilization. New evidence suggests that ANP activation directly modulates insulin sensitivity and energy homeostasis, suggesting that ANP suppression could promote more obesity/insulin resistance. Moreover, ANP exerts potent lipolytic effects in vitro and in vivo. The previous study has shown that a high-carbohydrate challenge in healthy volunteers is associated with a reduction in N-terminal-proANP (NTproANP) but not N-terminal-proB-type NP (NTproBNP) levels. Nonetheless our outcomes were predominantly in Caucasians and warrants replication in other racial groups.
There is no data on the ANP response to high-carbohydrate challenge in African Americans, a racial group with disproportionately greater rates of obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes as compared to Caucasians. So the investigators have proposed to conduct a pilot study in otherwise healthy, normotensive subjects to examine NP system, especially the effects on MRproANP in response of high-carbohydrate challenge.
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