Dataset Information

Association of Trimethylamine N-Oxide and Related Metabolites in Plasma and Incident Type 2 Diabetes: The Cardiovascular Health Study.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Although rodent studies suggest that trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) influences glucose homeostasis and risk of type 2 diabetes, evidence in humans is limited.

Objective

To examine the associations of serial measures of plasma TMAO and related metabolite concentrations with incident type 2 diabetes, fasting plasma insulin and glucose levels, and the Gutt insulin sensitivity index (ISI).

Design, setting, and participants

This prospective cohort design assessed the association of plasma TMAO and related metabolite concentrations with diabetes outcome, whereas a cross-sectional design assessed the association with insulin and glucose levels and Gutt ISI. The participants were a cohort of older US adults from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). Data from June 1989 to May 1990, from November 1992 to June 1993, and from June 1995 to June 1997 were included, with follow-up through June 2010. Levels of TMAO and related metabolites were measured in CHS plasma samples. Data were analyzed from July 2019 to September 2020.

Exposures

Plasma concentrations of TMAO, carnitine, betaine, choline, crotonobetaine, and γ-butyrobetaine, measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Main outcomes and measures

Linear regression for associations of TMAO and related metabolites with insulin and glucose levels and Gutt ISI, and proportional hazards regression for associations with diabetes.

Results

The study included 4442 participants without diabetes at baseline (mean [SD] age, 73 [6] years at entry; 2710 [61%] women). In multivariable analyses, plasma TMAO, carnitine, crotonobetaine, and γ-butyrobetaine concentrations were positively associated with fasting insulin level (insulin mean geometric ratio comparing fifth with first quintiles of metabolite concentration: 1.07 [95% CI, 1.04-1.10] for TMAO; 1.07 [95% CI, 1.03-1.10] for carnitine; 1.05 [95% CI, 1.02-1.08] for crotonobetaine; and 1.06 [95% CI, 1.02-1.09] for γ-butyrobetaine). In contrast, betaine and choline concentrations were associated with greater insulin sensitivity (mean difference in Gutt ISI comparing fifth with first quintiles: 6.46 [95% CI, 4.32-8.60] and 2.27 [95% CI, 0.16-4.38], respectively). Incident diabetes was identified in 661 participants during a median 12.1 (interquartile range, 6.9-17.1) years of follow-up. In multivariable analyses, TMAO and metabolites were not significantly associated with type 2 diabetes risk (hazard ratios of diabetes comparing fifth with first quintile: 1.20 [95% CI, 0.94-1.55] for TMAO; 0.96 [95% CI, 0.74-1.24] for choline; 0.88 [95% CI, 0.67-1.15] for betaine; 1.07 [95% CI, 0.83-1.37] for carnitine; 0.79 [95% CI, 0.60-1.04] for γ-butyrobetaine; and 1.06 [95% CI, 0.83-1.35] for crotonobetaine).

Conclusions and relevance

Plasma TMAO and related metabolites were not significantly associated with type 2 diabetes among older adults. The metabolites TMAO, carnitine, γ-butyrobetaine, and crotonobetaine may be associated with insulin resistance, and betaine and choline may be associated with greater insulin sensitivity, but temporality of the associations was not established.

SUBMITTER: Lemaitre RN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8397925 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundThe microbiota-dependent metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) has been reported as a novel and independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, but the association with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) remains unclear.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the association between plasma TMAO concentration and GDM in a 2-phase study.DesignA 2-phase design was used in the current study. An initial phase included 866 participants (433 GDM cases and 433 matched controls) with fasting blood samples collected at the time of GDM screening (24-32 wk of gestation). An independent-phase study, with 276 GDM cases and 552 matched controls who provided fasting blood samples before 20 wk of gestation and who had GDM screened during 24-32 wk of gestation, was nested within a prospective cohort study. These 2 studies were both conducted in Wuhan, China, and the incidence of GDM in the cohort study was 10.8%. Plasma TMAO concentrations were determined by stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. GDM was diagnosed according to the American Diabetes Association criteria by using an oral-glucose-tolerance test.ResultsIn the initial case-control study, the adjusted OR of GDM comparing the highest TMAO quartile with the lowest quartile was 1.94 (95% CI: 1.28, 2.93). Each SD increment of ln-transformed plasma TMAO was associated with 22% (95% CI: 5%, 41%) higher odds of GDM. In the nested case-control study, women in the highest quartile also had increased odds of GDM (adjusted OR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.28, 3.31) compared with women in the lowest quartile, and the adjusted OR for GDM per SD increment of ln-transformed plasma TMAO was 1.26 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.47).ConclusionsConsistent findings from this 2-phase study indicate a positive association between plasma TMAO concentrations and GDM. Future studies are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03415295.