Glutamine and Insulin Sensitivity in Type I Diabetes

Summary

Insulin is crucial to help the body metabolize ('burn') sugar (glucose). Even though juvenile (type 1) diabetes (T1D) is primarily due to the lack of insulin, patients with T1D tend to become less sensitive to insulin, particularly during adolescence.

The overall objective of this project is to gain further insight into the possible benefits of supplementation with glutamine (GLN), a natural dietary amino acid, enhancing insulin sensitivity in adolescents with T1D. To elucidate the impact of glutamine, the investigators will use a method called the 'euglycemic, hyperinsulinemic clamp': it consists of giving an IV drip of insulin, while the drop in blood sugar is prevented by giving variable, precisely measured amounts of glucose by vein: the amount of glucose required to prevent a drop in blood sugar reflects the body's sensitivity to insulin. The investigators will also give an IV drip of glucose and arginine (a building block of protein) 'tagged' with non-radioactive isotopes to better understand how glutamine may work. This procedure will be performed in 2 groups of 10 adolescents in the morning either after a strenuous exercise performed the previous afternoon (group 1; n=10), or after a sedentary day (group 2; n=10). Each subject will be studied twice, once after taking oral GLN, once after placebo, in separate clinical research center (CRC) admissions a few weeks apart, in random order.

Should the investigators hypothesis prove to be true, it would warrant long term studies to determine whether sustained dietary GLN supplementation can decrease insulin requirements and ultimately improve diabetes control in teenagers with T1DM, If successful, this approach could potentially have a significant positive impact in terms of adolescent health.

Conditions

• Type I Diabetes Mellitus

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Glutamine

Participants will keep a diary of food intake and activity as well as wear an accelerometer (to measure overall movement) for 2-3 days prior to the admission. Subject will come to the Clinical Research Center for approximately 24 hours. They will receive a drink containing Glutamine (0.25 g/kg/dose). Afterwards they will have an afternoon exercise session consisting of 15-min bouts of exercise, interspersed with 5-min rest periods in between for a total of 75min. Blood glucose will be checked during rest intervals. They will be served a controlled dinner. Before bedtime another dose of the same drink will be given. Overnight blood glucose will be monitored closely. In the morning, another dose of the same drink will be given. Subjects will have two isotope infusions (non-radioactive) running concomitantly and a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp will be performed. Afterwards lunch will be served and subject discharged home.

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Placebo

Participants will keep a diary of food intake and activity as well as wear an accelerometer (to measure overall movement) for 2-3 days prior to the admission. Subject will come to the Clinical Research Center for approximately 24 hours. They will receive a PLACEBO drink. Afterwards they will have an afternoon exercise session consisting of 15-min bouts of exercise, interspersed with 5-min rest periods in between for a total of 75min. Blood glucose will be checked during rest intervals. They will be served a controlled dinner. Before bedtime another dose of the same drink will be given. Overnight blood glucose will be monitored closely. In the morning, another dose of the same drink will be given. Subjects will have two isotope infusions (non-radioactive) running concomitantly and a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp will be performed. Afterwards lunch will be served and subject discharged home.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Thrasher Research Fund

  collaborator OTHER

• Nemours Children's Clinic

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Dominique Darmaun, MD, PhD · Nemours Children's Clinic

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

13 Years

Max Age

19 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2011-10-31

Primary Completion

2013-06-30

Completion

2013-07-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations