Publications [#254379] of Keith E. Whitfield

Journal Articles

1. Sims, RC; Katzel, LI; Lefkowitz, DM; Siegel, EL; Rosenberger, WF; Manukyan, Z; Whitfield, KE; Waldstein, SR (2014). Association of fasting glucose with subclinical cerebrovascular disease in older adults without type 2 diabetes. Diabetic Medicine, 31(6), 691-698. [doi]
   (last updated on 2017/07/31)

   Abstract:
   Aims: To examine how fasting glucose and glucose tolerance are related to magnetic resonance imaging-assessed indicators of subclinical cerebrovascular disease and brain atrophy and their variation according to age, sex and education. Methods: Participants in the present study were 172 healthy, community-dwelling older adults. An oral glucose tolerance test was administered and magnetic resonance imaging performed. Fasting, 2-h, and 2-h area-under-the-curve glucose levels, their associations with subclinical cerebrovascular disease and brain atrophy, and their respective interactions with age, sex and education were examined. Results: A positive association between fasting glucose and subclinical cerebrovascular disease (but not brain atrophy) emerged; this association was more pronounced for participants with < 12 years of education; however, glucose tolerance was not related to subclinical cerebrovascular disease or brain atrophy. Conclusions: Findings revealed a potential link between fasting glucose levels and the presence of subclinical cerebrovascular disease indicators - white matter hyperintensities and silent brain infarction - in older adults without diabetes and with an education level below high school. Additional research is needed to confirm these associations and to determine the need for interventions aimed at closely monitoring and preventing elevated glucose levels in this population to reduce the prevalence of subclinical cerebrovascular disease. What's new?: The present study finds that minimally elevated fasting glucose levels may enhance the progression of subclinical cerebrovascular disease in older adults without Type 2 diabetes. Education may play a role in buffering the effects of elevated glucose levels on the development of subclinical cerebrovascular disease. Glucose levels should be monitored carefully by older adults without Type 2 diabetes because of the documented impact of subclinical hyperglycaemia on brain outcomes. © 2013 The Authors.