The effect of a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist on glucose tolerance in women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus: protocol for an investigator-initiated, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, parallel intervention trial

Liraglutide treatment for the prevention of glucose tolerance deterioration in women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus: A 52-week randomized controlled clinical trial

AIM

We investigated the effect of 52-week treatment with liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist, on glucose tolerance and incretin effect in women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus (pGDM).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Women with overweight/obesity and pGDM were randomized to once daily subcutaneous liraglutide 1.8 mg or placebo for 52 weeks. Participants underwent oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and isoglycaemic intravenous glucose infusion at baseline and at 52 weeks, and an additional OGTT after the drug wash-out.

RESULTS

In total, 104 women [age: mean ± SD, 38 ± 5 years; fasting plasma glucose (FPG): 5.5 ± 0.4 mmol/L; glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c): 33 ± 4 mmol/mol, bodyweight: 88.2 ± 14.8 kg, body mass index: 31.1 ± 4.3 kg/m2 ] were assigned to liraglutide (n = 49) or placebo (n = 55). Estimated treatment difference (ETD) for area under curve during OGTT was -173 (95% confidence interval -250 to -97) mmol/L × min, p < .0001, but after wash-out the difference disappeared [ETD 58 (-30 to 146) mmol/L × min, p = .536]. Liraglutide reduced FPG [ETD -0.2 (-0.4 to -0.1) mmol/L, p = .018], HbA1c [-2.2 (-3.5 to -0.8) mmol/mol, p = .018] and bodyweight [-3.9 (-6.2 to -1.6) kg, p = .012]. No change in the incretin effect was observed. The number of women with prediabetes was reduced from 64% to 10% with liraglutide vs. 50% with placebo [adjusted odds ratio 0.10 (0.03-0.32), p = .002].

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with liraglutide for 52 weeks improved glucose tolerance, FPG, HbA1c and bodyweight in women with overweight/obesity and pGDM. Progression to prediabetes while on drug was markedly reduced, but after a 1-week drug wash-out, the effect was lost.

One Year's Treatment with the Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonist Liraglutide Decreases Hepatic Fat Content in Women with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Prior Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Prior gestational diabetes mellitus (pGDM) is associated with increased risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Treatment with glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists has shown beneficial effects in NAFLD patients. We evaluated the effect of the GLP-1 analogue liraglutide on NAFLD features in women with pGDM. Eighty-two overweight/obese, nondiabetic women with pGDM were included. We performed abdominal ultrasound, transient elastography with controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), and blood sampling at baseline and after 1 year. Thirty-seven women were randomized to liraglutide (1.8 mg once-daily) and 45 to placebo. Based on the ultrasound scan, 18 women (22%) had ultrasound-verified NAFLD at baseline and of these, 10 (56%) received liraglutide treatment. After 1 year, eight participants no longer had steatosis, four in each treatment group. The number of participants who developed NAFLD was similar in the two treatment groups; five in the liraglutide group and six in the placebo group (p = 0.74). Compared to placebo, liraglutide reduced the CAP-assessed intrahepatic fat content (−28 (−44;−11) vs. 2 (−13;18) dB/m, p < 0.01) and body weight (−4.7 (−6.4;−2.9) vs. −1.4 (−3;0.3) kg, p < 0.01). One-year’s liraglutide treatment had no effect on the presence of ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD in overweight/obese nondiabetic women with pGDM, but reduced body weight and steatosis assessed by transient elastography with CAP.

Increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in women with gestational diabetes mellitus: A population-based cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis

AIMS

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is one of the leading causes of liver transplantation in the West. This study seeks to examine whether women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at increased risk of developing NAFLD compared to women without GDM.

METHODS

We conducted a population-based retrospective matched-controlled cohort study utilising The Health Improvement Network (THIN), a large primary care database representative of the United Kingdom population, between 01/01/1990 to 31/05/2016 followed by systematic review of available literature. The study population included 9640 women with GDM and 31,296 controls without GDM, matched for age, body mass index (BMI) and time of pregnancy. All study participants were free from NAFLD diagnosis at study entry. Patients with GDM and patients developing NAFLD were identified by clinical codes.

RESULTS

The median (range) follow-up duration was similar in women with and without GDM (2.95 (1.21-6.01) vs 2.85 (1.14-5.75) years respectively). Unadjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) for NAFLD development in women with vs without GDM was 3.28 (95% CI 2.14-5.02), which remained significant after adjustment for wide range of potential confounders (IRR 2.70; 95% CI 1.744-4.19). The risk of NAFLD in GDM remained high (IRR 2.46: 95% CI 1.51-4.00) despite women being censored after they developed type 2 diabetes. The meta-analysis of 3 studies (including the current study) showed increased NAFLD risk in women with vs without GDM (OR 2.60; 95% CI 1.90-3.57, I₂ = 0%). As our study is based on routine clinical diagnosis of NAFLD, this study could potentially have underestimated the risk of NAFLD development.

CONCLUSIONS

Women with GDM are at increased risk of developing NAFLD in their later life compared to women without GDM regardless of the development of type 2 diabetes. Clinicians should have a low threshold to investigate women with history of GDM for the presence of NAFLD. Further studies to identify screening strategies are needed.

Women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus and prediabetes are characterised by a decreased incretin effect

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

We investigated whether a reduced incretin effect, as observed in patients with type 2 diabetes, can be detected in high-risk individuals, such as women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (pGDM).

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 102 women without diabetes with pGDM and 15 control participants without pGDM and with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) underwent a 4 h 75 g OGTT and an isoglycaemic i.v. glucose infusion (IIGI). Women with pGDM were classified as having NGT or prediabetes (impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance). Insulin sensitivity was assessed using the Matsuda index and HOMA2-IR and the incretin effect was calculated from insulin responses during the study (100% × [AUC_insulin,OGTT - AUC_insulin,IIGI]/AUC_insulin,OGTT).

RESULTS

Sixty-three of the 102 women with pGDM (62%) had prediabetes (median [interquartile range]: age, 38.3 [6.5] years; BMI, 32.1 [5.8] kg/m²) and 39 women (38%) had NGT (age, 39.5 [5.6] years; BMI, 31.0 [6.7] kg/m²). Control participants (n = 15) were not significantly different from the pGDM group with regards to age (39.2 [7.4] years) and BMI (28.8 [9.2] kg/m²). Compared with women with NGT and control participants, women with prediabetes had lower insulin sensitivity, as measured by the Matsuda index (3.0 [2.4] vs 5.0 [2.6] vs 1.5 [1.8], respectively; p < 0.001). The incretin effect was 55.3% [27.8], 73.8% [19.0] and 76.7% [24.6] in women with prediabetes, women with normal glucose tolerance and control participants, respectively (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION

Prediabetes was highly prevalent in women with pGDM, and alterations in the incretin effect were detected in this group before the development of type 2 diabetes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrialsregister.eu 2012-001371-37-DK.

Effect of Liraglutide Treatment on Prediabetes and Overweight or Obesity in Clozapine- or Olanzapine-Treated Patients With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Compared with the general population, patients with schizophrenia have a 2- to 3-fold higher mortality rate primarily caused by cardiovascular disease. Previous interventions designed to counteract antipsychotic-induced weight gain and cardiometabolic disturbances reported limited effects.

Objectives

To determine the effects of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist liraglutide added to clozapine or olanzapine treatment of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This randomized clinical double-blind trial enrolled participants at 2 clinical sites in Denmark. Of 214 eligible participants with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, 103 were randomized to liraglutide or placebo. Participants received stable treatment with clozapine or olanzapine, were overweight or obese, and had prediabetes. Data were collected from May 1, 2013, through February 25, 2016.

Interventions

Treatment for 16 weeks with once-daily subcutaneous injection of liraglutide or placebo. Trial drug therapy was titrated during the first 2 weeks of the study.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end point was change in glucose tolerance estimated by a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test result. Secondary end points included change in body weight and cardiometabolic parameters.

Results

Of the 103 patients undergoing randomization (60 men [58.3%] and 43 women [41.7%]), 97 were included in the efficacy analysis, with a mean (SD) age of 42.5 (10.5) years and mean (SD) body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) of 33.8 (5.9). The liraglutide and placebo groups had comparable characteristics (mean [SD] age, 42.1 [10.7] vs 43.0 [10.5] years; 30 men in each group; mean [SD] body mass index, 33.7 [5.1] vs 33.9 [6.6]). A total of 96 randomized participants (93.2%) completed the trial. Glucose tolerance improved in the liraglutide group compared with the placebo group (P < .001). Altogether, 30 liraglutide-treated participants (63.8%) developed normal glucose tolerance compared with 8 placebo-treated participants (16.0%) (P < .001; number needed to treat, 2). Body weight decreased with liraglutide compared with placebo (-5.3 kg; 95% CI, -7.0 to -3.7 kg). Reductions in waist circumference (-4.1 cm; 95% CI, -6.0 to -2.3 cm), systolic blood pressure (-4.9 mm Hg; 95% CI, -9.5 to -0.3 mm Hg), visceral fat (-250.19 g; 95% CI, -459.9 to -40.5 g), and low-density lipoprotein levels (-15.4 mg/dL; 95% CI, -23.2 to -7.7 mg/dL) occurred with liraglutide compared with placebo. Adverse events with liraglutide affected mainly the gastrointestinal tract.

Conclusions and Relevance

Liraglutide significantly improved glucose tolerance, body weight, and cardiometabolic disturbances in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders treated with clozapine or olanzapine.

Trial Registration

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01845259.

Dipeptidyl-peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 analogues for prevention or delay of type 2 diabetes mellitus and its associated complications in people at increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

The projected rise in the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) could develop into a substantial health problem worldwide. Whether dipeptidyl-peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors or glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 analogues are able to prevent or delay T2DM and its associated complications in people at risk for the development of T2DM is unknown.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of DPP-4 inhibitors and GLP-1 analogues on the prevention or delay of T2DM and its associated complications in people with impaired glucose tolerance, impaired fasting blood glucose, moderately elevated glycosylated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) or any combination of these.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; MEDLINE; PubMed; Embase; ClinicalTrials.gov; the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform; and the reference lists of systematic reviews, articles and health technology assessment reports. We asked investigators of the included trials for information about additional trials. The date of the last search of all databases was January 2017.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with a duration of 12 weeks or more comparing DPP-4 inhibitors and GLP-1 analogues with any pharmacological glucose-lowering intervention, behaviour-changing intervention, placebo or no intervention in people with impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, moderately elevated HbA1c or combinations of these.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors read all abstracts and full-text articles and records, assessed quality and extracted outcome data independently. One review author extracted data which were checked by a second review author. We resolved discrepancies by consensus or the involvement of a third review author. For meta-analyses, we planned to use a random-effects model with investigation of risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous outcomes and mean differences (MDs) for continuous outcomes, using 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for effect estimates. We assessed the overall quality of the evidence using the GRADE instrument.

MAIN RESULTS

We included seven completed RCTs; about 98 participants were randomised to a DPP-4 inhibitor as monotherapy and 1620 participants were randomised to a GLP-1 analogue as monotherapy. Two trials investigated a DPP-4 inhibitor and five trials investigated a GLP-1 analogue. A total of 924 participants with data on allocation to control groups were randomised to a comparator group; 889 participants were randomised to placebo and 33 participants to metformin monotherapy. One RCT of liraglutide contributed 85% of all participants. The duration of the intervention varied from 12 weeks to 160 weeks. We judged none of the included trials at low risk of bias for all 'Risk of bias' domains and did not perform meta-analyses because there were not enough trials.One trial comparing the DPP-4 inhibitor vildagliptin with placebo reported no deaths (very low-quality evidence). The incidence of T2DM by means of WHO diagnostic criteria in this trial was 3/90 participants randomised to vildagliptin versus 1/89 participants randomised to placebo (very low-quality evidence). Also, 1/90 participants on vildagliptin versus 2/89 participants on placebo experienced a serious adverse event (very low-quality evidence). One out of 90 participants experienced congestive heart failure in the vildagliptin group versus none in the placebo group (very low-quality evidence). There were no data on non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke, health-related quality of life or socioeconomic effects reported.All-cause and cardiovascular mortality following treatment with GLP-1 analogues were rarely reported; one trial of exenatide reported that no participant died. Another trial of liraglutide 3.0 mg showed that 2/1501 in the liraglutide group versus 2/747 in the placebo group died after 160 weeks of treatment (very low-quality evidence).The incidence of T2DM following treatment with liraglutide 3.0 mg compared to placebo after 160 weeks was 26/1472 (1.8%) participants randomised to liraglutide versus 46/738 (6.2%) participants randomised to placebo (very low-quality evidence). The trial established the risk for (diagnosis of) T2DM as HbA1c 5.7% to 6.4% (6.5% or greater), fasting plasma glucose 5.6 mmol/L or greater to 6.9 mmol/L or less (7.0 mmol/L or greater) or two-hour post-load plasma glucose 7.8 mmol/L or greater to 11.0 mmol/L (11.1 mmol/L). Altogether, 70/1472 (66%) participants regressed from intermediate hyperglycaemia to normoglycaemia compared with 268/738 (36%) participants in the placebo group. The incidence of T2DM after the 12-week off-treatment extension period (i.e. after 172 weeks) showed that five additional participants were diagnosed T2DM in the liraglutide group, compared with one participant in the placebo group. After 12-week treatment cessation, 740/1472 (50%) participants in the liraglutide group compared with 263/738 (36%) participants in the placebo group had normoglycaemia.One trial used exenatide and 2/17 participants randomised to exenatide versus 1/16 participants randomised to placebo developed T2DM (very low-quality evidence). This trial did not provide a definition of T2DM. One trial reported serious adverse events in 230/1524 (15.1%) participants in the liraglutide 3.0 mg arm versus 96/755 (12.7%) participants in the placebo arm (very low quality evidence). There were no serious adverse events in the trial using exenatide. Non-fatal myocardial infarction was reported in 1/1524 participants in the liraglutide arm and in 0/55 participants in the placebo arm at 172 weeks (very low-quality evidence). One trial reported congestive heart failure in 1/1524 participants in the liraglutide arm and in 1/755 participants in the placebo arm (very low-quality evidence). Participants receiving liraglutide compared with placebo had a small mean improvement in the physical component of the 36-item Short Form scale showing a difference of 0.87 points (95% CI 0.17 to 1.58; P = 0.02; 1 trial; 1791 participants; very low-quality evidence). No trial evaluating GLP-1-analogues reported data on stroke, microvascular complications or socioeconomic effects.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There is no firm evidence that DPP-4 inhibitors or GLP-1 analogues compared mainly with placebo substantially influence the risk of T2DM and especially its associated complications in people at increased risk for the development of T2DM. Most trials did not investigate patient-important outcomes.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Is Prevalent in Women With Prior Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Independently Associated With Insulin Resistance and Waist Circumference

OBJECTIVE

Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is a potentially reversible condition but is also associated with progressive fibrosis and cirrhosis. Women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (pGDM) have a higher risk for NAFLD.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

One hundred women without diabetes who had pGDM (median [interquartile range]: age 38.6 [6.4] years; BMI 31.0 [6.2] kg/m²) and 11 healthy control subjects without NAFLD (age 37.9 [7.8] years; BMI 28.1 [0.8] kg/m²) underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), DXA whole-body scan, and ultrasonic evaluation of hepatic steatosis.

RESULTS

Twenty-four (24%) women with pGDM had NAFLD on the basis of the ultrasound scan. None had cirrhosis. Women with NAFLD had a higher BMI (P = 0.0002) and waist circumference (P = 0.0003), increased insulin resistance (P = 0.0004), and delayed suppression of glucagon after the OGTT (P < 0.0001), but NAFLD was not associated with the degree of glucose intolerance (P = 0.2196). Visceral fat mass differed among the three groups, with the NAFLD group having the highest amount of fat and the control subjects the lowest (P = 0.0003). By logistic regression analysis, insulin resistance (P = 0.0057) and waist circumference (P = 0.0109) were independently associated with NAFLD.

CONCLUSIONS

NAFLD was prevalent in this cohort of relatively young and nonseverely obese women with pGDM who are considered healthy apart from their increased risk for diabetes. Insulin resistance and a larger waist circumference were independently associated with the presence of NAFLD, whereas glucose intolerance was not.

Overweight and Obesity before, during and after Pregnancy: Part 2: Evidence-based Risk Factors and Interventions

Overweight and obesity have become a global health problem. Obesity and excessive weight gain during pregnancy have a serious impact on maternal, fetal and neonatal outcomes. Pre-conceptional obesity and excessive weight gain during pregnancy are associated with weight gain in women following childbirth leading to associated risks such as metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Long-term risks for the offspring are an increased risk for early cardiovascular events, metabolic syndrome and decreased life expectancy as adults. German health care has not yet adequately responded to this development. There are no clinical guidelines for obesity before, during or after pregnancy, there are no concerted actions amongst midwives, obstetricians, health advisors, politicians and the media. Research projects on effective interventions are lacking although health care concepts would be urgently needed to reduce future metabolic and cardiovascular risks for women and children as well as to minimize the associated costs for the society.