Postprandial glycemic dips are associated with metabolic disorders and CVD risk in euglycemic individuals.

CONTEXT Metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease threaten human health. Many studies have assessed the phenomenon of metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes. However, in euglycemic individuals, the relationships between glucose regulation, metabolism and cardiovascular disease remain unclear. OBJECTIVE To explore the associations between postprandial glucose dips, metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease risk. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We analyzed data from the Thyroid disorders, Iodine status and Diabetes Epidemiological survey (TIDE study), which included 38878 euglycemic individuals from all 31 provinces of mainland China. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The prevalence of metabolic disorders and their related components and cardiovascular disease risk were calculated according to postprandial glucose dips. Logistic regression models of quartiles of postprandial glucose dips were used to further explore whether the prevalence of these disorders was associated with postprandial glucose dips. RESULTS Odds ratios for the fourth versus the first quartile of glucose dips were 0.59 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.55, 0.63) (P<0.001) for metabolic disorders, 0.48 (95% CI 0.44, 0.53) (P<0.001) for metabolic syndrome and 0.54 (95% CI 0.50, 0.59) (P<0.001) for hyperuricemia. The odds ratio of 10-year cardiovascular disease risk >20% for the fourth versus the first glucose dip quartile was 0.67 (95% CI 0.52, 0.85) (P<0.001). Models adjusted for BMI yielded similar results. CONCLUSIONS Postprandial glucose dips are associated with metabolic disorders, metabolic syndrome and its related component diseases, and the cardiovascular disease risk. Glucose dips may be a marker of underlying metabolic abnormalities.