Insulin-like growth factor-(IGF)-axis, inflammation, and glucose intolerance among older adults

Increasing evidence suggests that the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-axis may play a role in glucose metabolism and may also be associated with systemic inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) and its binding proteins, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-3, with glucose intolerance and inflammation among older adults. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis in a in a random subsample (n = 922) of the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), a prospective cohort of men and women ⩾65 years. Mean IGFBP-1 levels were significantly lower in older adults with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and diabetes compared to those with normal fasting and post-load glucose. High IGFBP-1 was associated with a reduced prevalence of IGT and IFG; the multivariable OR between extreme quartiles of IGFBP-1 was 0.60 (95% CI: 0.37, 0.95; p-trend: 0.03) for IGT and 0.41 (95% CI: 0.26, 0.64; p-trend: <0.01) for IFG. We did not find any significant association between IGF-I and glucose intolerance in this study and the association for IGFBP-3 was less clear. However, low levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were associated with increased levels of markers of inflammation including C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels. We conclude that among adults ⩾65 years, low IGFBP-1 levels are associated with increased prevalence of glucose intolerance. We did not confirm prior associations of low IGF-I with glucose intolerance in this cohort of older individuals.