Pancreatic fat volume may predict deterioration of beta cell function in type 2 diabetics

Pancreatic fat volume (PFV) may be indicative of worsening beta-cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes patients, reports a new study.

Researchers cross-sectionally examined 132 consecutive type 2 diabetes patients (mean age, 63.7±14.0 years; 64.4 percent male), in whom multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) was used to measure PFV, total pancreatic volume (TPV), pancreatic parenchymal volume (PPV) and visceral fat volume. The C-peptide immunoreactivity (CPR) index and CPR-insulin resistance (CPR-IR) were used as markers of insulin secretion and sensitivity, respectively.

TPV, PFV and PPV were all significantly correlated with body weight (BW; p<0.0001 for all) and were thus adjusted for it for the subsequent analyses.

TPV/BW and PFV/BW were both significantly and positively associated with CPR index (p<0.005), while PPV/BW was not. In comparison, TPV/BW and PFV/BW, but not PPV/BW, were inversely correlated with CPR-IR.

Subsequently, participants were divided according to the median PFV-to-TPV ratio. In those above the median value, CPR index was significantly lower in patients with diabetes duration >5 vs ≤5 years. This effect was absent in the low-PFV/TPV subgroup. Similarly, CPR index in the high-PFV/BW group was significantly decreased in patients with disease duration >5 vs ≤5 years.

“[O]ur present study suggests that pancreatic fat accumulation might be attributable to longitudinal decline in beta cell function in type 2 diabetic patients with insulin resistance,” said the searchers. “Evaluation of PFV by MDCT may help identify diabetic patients who benefit most from improvement of central obesity.”