Non-invasive saliva insulin test may identify prediabetes before symptoms: Researchers
The study published recently in 'Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism' highlights the potential of measuring insulin levels in saliva as a simple, non-invasive alternative to traditional blood tests, eliminating the need for needles or lab-based blood work.
Dr. Jonathan Little, Professor at UBC Okanagan's School of Health and Exercise Sciences, noted that this 'spit test' could also detect early metabolic changes associated with obesity and other health risks.
The research involved 94 healthy participants with varying body sizes. After fasting, each participant consumed a standardized meal-replacement shake, followed by saliva collection and a finger-prick blood glucose test.
'Individuals with obesity exhibited significantly higher saliva insulin levels compared to those who were overweight or had lower body weight, despite similar blood sugar levels,' said Dr. Little. He emphasised that saliva testing could serve as a convenient and non-invasive tool to identify people at risk of Type 2 diabetes well before symptoms appear.
Type 2 diabetes currently affects around 400 million people worldwide and is conventionally diagnosed through elevated blood glucose levels. However, Dr. Little pointed out that prediabetic conditions like insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia can develop 10 to 20 years prior to diagnosis.
Early detection of hyperinsulinemia could allow timely lifestyle interventions and treatments, potentially delaying or preventing the onset of diabetes.
The study's co-author, Dr. Hossein Rafiei, explained that the team aimed to develop a practical test for hyperinsulinemia using saliva. Interestingly, saliva insulin levels closely mirrored plasma insulin responses following mixed meals of varying carbohydrate content, as shown in Dr. Rafiei's earlier research at UBC Okanagan.
Participants' saliva samples were collected at 30, 60, and 90 minutes after ingesting the meal-replacement shake. Notably, some individuals with lower body weight experienced significant spikes in saliva insulin post-consumption, suggesting that they might be at increased risk for Type 2 diabetes despite normal glucose levels and lean physiques.
Dr. Rafiei remarked, 'The discovery that some lean individuals have high insulin levels is intriguing. This suggests saliva insulin measurement could be more informative than conventional metrics like weight or waist size.'
The study also examined correlations between waist circumference, BMI, age, and sex, finding waist size to be the strongest predictor of saliva insulin levels. The researchers concluded that waist circumference may be a more reliable indicator of hyperinsulinemia than age or overall body weight when using saliva insulin tests.
'Our findings imply that saliva insulin testing might surpass blood glucose measurements in distinguishing metabolically healthy individuals from those prone to hyperinsulinemia,' said Dr. Rafiei.
The study findings are significant in the context of India where prediabetes is a significant health concern, with an estimated 15.3% of the population affected.
This condition, characterized by elevated blood sugar levels that are not yet high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes, serves as a warning sign for increased diabetes cases.
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