WASHINGTON, June 6 /PRNewswire/ -- A key study in the current edition of the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Care journal demonstrates that the new GlycoMark blood test is a better measure of after-meal or postprandial glucose levels compared to standard tests for diabetes. This is a very important finding as elevated after-meal glucose levels are associated with cardiovascular complications -- the leading cause of death in patients with diabetes.
The study, completed by Kathleen Dungan, MD and John Buse, MD at the University of North Carolina and Steven Wittlin, MD at the University of Rochester, shows that although the current gold standard diabetes test, hemoglobin A1C (A1C) may indicate adequate control of glucose levels, after- meal glucose levels may still be elevated (known as postprandial hyperglycemia). The GlycoMark test which measures circulating levels of 1,5- anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG), a sugar similar to glucose, reflects after-meal glucose levels over the previous one to two weeks.
The authors of the study conclude that, “1,5-AG was reflective of varying postmeal glucose levels, despite similarities in A1Cs. Thus, the 1,5-AG assay may facilitate achieving good glycemic control in patients with suboptimal A1Cs by identifying patients in whom postprandial glucose elevations predominate.” The authors go on to say, “In clinical practice, A1C and 1,5-AG may be used sequentially, first utilizing the A1C assay to identify patients who are moderately or well controlled, and then using the 1,5-AG assay to determine the extent of postprandial glucose excursions.”
A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that controlling after-meal glucose levels play a significant role in achieving optimal glycemic control. Reducing after-meal glucose levels is also thought to be associated with a reduction in the burden of cardiovascular disease. To that end, many pharmaceutical companies have developed and are developing therapeutic agents to specifically target after-meal glucose levels. The GlycoMark test is being used in several of these clinical studies.
Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
One of the most common risks to people with diabetes is cardiovascular disease (CVD). People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to develop CVD than are people without diabetes. Furthermore, risk of cardiovascular death is three times as high among those with diabetes than for people who don’t have diabetes.
The BioMarker Group
CONTACT: Eric Button, President of The BioMarker Group, +1-336-725-1880,or ebutton@biomarkergroup.com
Web site: http://www.glycomark.com/
