Oral glucose tolerance and related factors in a normal population sample. II. Interrelationship of glycerides, cholesterol, and other factors with the glucose and insulin response.

The data available from the previous paper have been analysed to determine the interaction between the blood sugar and plasma insulin responses to oral glucose and a number of other biological variables. The total sugar and insulin responses were derived by calculating the total area and the incremental area under the curves.The blood sugar area was significantly correlated with age in both men and women, particularly the former. A striking degree of correlation was found in men between the level of fasting glycerides and the blood sugar area. There was a significant correlation also in women, but this was entirely due to the presence of the older, postmenopausal individuals. A lower degree of correlation was found in both sexes between fasting glycerides and the insulin area.Obesity, as defined by three interrelated factors-ponderal index, triceps fat-fold thickness, and arm girth -was significantly correlated with the insulin area (the association being stronger in the men) and with the blood sugar area only in men.The fasting cholesterol level was correlated with obesity in both sexes but with the blood sugar area and the insulin area only in men.