Glycemic Variability and Changes in Serum Lipid Profiles During Intensive Diabetes Management

Authors

  • Dr. Marie Dubois Author
  • Dr. Hiroshi Yamamoto Author
  • Dr. Elena García Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61336/jdme.0402.05

Keywords:

Glycemic variability, type 2 diabetes mellitus, lipid profile, continuous glucose monitoring, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, diabetes management, metabolic control

Abstract

Glycemic variability represents fluctuations in blood glucose occurring throughout the day and may contribute to metabolic and vascular abnormalities beyond average glycemic exposure. The relationship between glycemic variability and serum lipid profiles during intensive diabetes management remains incompletely characterized. This study evaluated changes in glycemic variability and serum lipid parameters during a period of intensified diabetes management. A prospective observational study was conducted among 156 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus who underwent treatment intensification and continuous glucose monitoring for 12 weeks. Glycemic variability was assessed using mean amplitude of glycemic excursions, coefficient of variation, and standard deviation of glucose, while serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. Participants demonstrated significant reductions in HbA1c, mean glucose, glucose coefficient of variation, and mean amplitude of glycemic excursions following treatment intensification. Reductions in triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B were also observed, while HDL cholesterol increased modestly. Greater reductions in glycemic variability were associated with greater reductions in triglyceride and non-HDL cholesterol concentrations. After adjustment for age, sex, baseline lipid concentrations, BMI, diabetes duration, and change in body weight, the reduction in glucose coefficient of variation remained independently associated with improvement in triglyceride concentration. Participants achieving both improved glycemic variability and HbA1c reduction demonstrated a more favorable lipid profile than those achieving improvement in HbA1c without substantial reduction in glycemic variability. These findings suggest that improvement in daily glucose fluctuations during intensive diabetes management may be accompanied by favorable changes in circulating lipid parameters.

Author Biographies

  • Dr. Marie Dubois

     Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology

  • Dr. Hiroshi Yamamoto

    Department of Diabetes and Metabolic Research

  • Dr. Elena García

    Department of Internal Medicine

References

1. Ceriello A, Monnier L, Owens D. Glycaemic variability in diabetes: clinical and therapeutic implications. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2019;7(3):221–230.

2. Suh S, Kim JH. Glycemic variability: how do we measure and its clinical implication? Diabetes Metab J. 2015;39(4):273–282.

3. Monnier L, Colette C, Owens DR. Glycemic variability: the third component of the dysglycemia in diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2008;31(Suppl 2):S150–S154.

4. Monnier L, Colette C, Owens DR. Glycemic variability: the third component of the dysglycemia in diabetes. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2016;45(4):937–950.

5. Kovatchev BP, Otto E, Cox D, Gonder-Frederick L, Clarke W. Evaluation of a new measure of blood glucose variability in diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2006;29(11):2433–2438.

6. Rodbard D. Glucose variability: a review of clinical applications and research developments. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2018;20(S2):S25–S35.

7. Battelino T, Danne T, Bergenstal RM, Amiel SA, Beck R, Biester T, et al. Clinical targets for continuous glucose monitoring data interpretation. Diabetes Care. 2019;42(8):1593–1603.

8. Beck RW, Bergenstal RM, Riddlesworth TD, Kollman C, Li Z, Brown AS, et al. Validation of time in range as an outcome measure for diabetes clinical trials. Diabetes Care. 2019;42(3):400–405.

9. Brownlee M, Hirsch IB. Glycemic variability: a hemoglobin A1c-independent risk factor for diabetic complications. JAMA. 2006;295(14):1707–1708.

10. Ceriello A. The emerging role of postprandial hyperglycaemic spikes in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. Diabet Med. 2010;27(6):689–695.

11. Raz I, Wilson PWF, Strojek K, Kowalska I, Božinović I, Gause-Nilsson I, et al. Effects of nateglinide and valsartan on the incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular events. Diabetes Care. 2004;27(12):2889–2895.

12. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. Glycemic goals and hypoglycemia: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. Diabetes Care. 2026;49(Suppl 1).

13. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. Cardiovascular disease and risk management: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. Diabetes Care. 2026;49(Suppl 1).

14. Taskinen MR. Diabetic dyslipidaemia: from basic research to clinical practice. Diabetologia. 2003;46(6):733–749.

15. Vergès B. Pathophysiology of diabetic dyslipidaemia: where are we? Diabetologia. 2015;58(5):886–899.

16. Mooradian AD. Dyslipidemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2009;5(3):150–159.

17. Chait A, Ginsberg HN, Vaisar T, Heinecke JW, Goldberg IJ, Bornfeldt KE. Remnants of the triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Diabetes Care. 2020;43(11):2689–2697.

18. Taskinen MR, Borén J. New insights into the pathophysiology of dyslipidemia in type 2 diabetes. Atherosclerosis. 2015;239(2):483–495.

19. Ginsberg HN, Packard CJ, Chapman MJ, Borén J, Aguilar-Salinas CA, Averna M, et al. Triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and their remnants: metabolic insights, role in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and emerging therapeutic strategies. Eur Heart J. 2021;42(47):4791–4806.

20. Sattar N, Preiss D, Murray HM, Welsh P, Buckley BM, de Craen AJM, et al. Statins and risk of incident diabetes: a collaborative meta-analysis of randomised statin trials. Lancet. 2010;375(9716):735–742.

21. Taskinen MR, Packard CJ, Borén J. Emerging evidence that triglyceride-rich lipoproteins are causal for cardiovascular disease. Curr Opin Lipidol. 2019;30(3):205–211.

22. Samuel VT, Shulman GI. The pathogenesis of insulin resistance: integrating signaling pathways and substrate flux. J Clin Invest. 2016;126(1):12–22.

Published

2026-08-26

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Similar Articles

41-44 of 44

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.