Similar incretin secretion in obese and non-obese Japanese subjects with type 2 diabetes

Incretin secretion and effect on insulin secretion are not fully understood in patients with type 2 diabetes. We investigated incretin and insulin secretion after meal intake in obese and non-obese Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes compared to non-diabetic subjects. Nine patients with type 2 diabetes and 5 non-diabetic subjects were recruited for this study. Five diabetic patients were obese (BMI ⩾ 25) and 4 patients were non-obese (BMI < 25). In response to a mixed meal test, the levels of immunoreactive insulin during 15–90 min and C-peptide during 0–180 min in non-obese patients were significantly lower than those in obese patients. Total GLP-1 and active GIP levels showed no significant difference between obese and non-obese patients throughout the meal tolerance test. In addition, there were no significant differences between diabetic patients and non-diabetic subjects. In conclusion, incretin secretion does not differ between Japanese obese and non-obese patients with type 2 diabetes and non-diabetic subjects.