Gender differences in the response to the oral glucose tolerance test may be accounted for by height
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In order to investigate the gender-related differences in the prevalence of glucose intolerance, cross-sectional data from a national cohort of 11,247 Australians were collected and glucose tolerance status was assessed according to both fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-h plasma glucose (2hPG) levels following a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). When based only on FPG results, undiagnosed diabetes and nondiabetic glucose abnormalities were more prevalent among men than women. In contrast, more women than men had a 2hPG abnormality. Women had a mean FPG 0.3 mmol/L lower than men, but 2hPG 0.3 mmol/L higher and FPG-2hPG increment 0.5 mmol/L greater. However, after adjusting for height, the gender difference in mean 2hPG and FPG-2hPG increment disappeared. The authors conclude that both genders had different glycaemic profiles, with women having higher 2hPG levels in spite of lower fasting levels. For women, higher 2hPG levels related to lesser height, and so they might have been a consequence of using a fixed glucose load in the OGTT, irrespective of body size. Higher muscle mass associated with greater height is hypothesized as a possible underlying mechanism for those gender differences.
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