Evidence Hub

Apolipoprotein-defined and NMR lipoprotein subclasses in the veterans affairs diabetes trial

Azar M, Lyons TJ, Alaupovic P, Stoner JA, Quiroga C, Kaufman DG, Lopes-Virella M, Klein RL et al.

Journal of diabetes and its complications, 2013

740 participants

Abstract

AIMS: The VADT was a randomized clinical trial designed to assess the effect of intensive vs. standard glucose management on cardiovascular events in Type 2 diabetes. At the end of the study, intensive management failed to improve outcomes. We performed plasma lipoprotein subclass analyses to yield new information on the effects of study randomization on cardiovascular risk.

METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of a subset of the VADT (740 men: 368 intensive; 372 standard), conducted at least six months (mean±SD: 2.1±0.8years) post-randomization. Conventional lipids, apolipoprotein-defined (ADLS) lipoprotein subclasses, ApoCIII, ApoE, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) lipoprotein subclasses were determined.

RESULTS: In intensive vs. standard groups, conventional lipids and ADLS did not differ significantly. However, with intensive treatment, NMR-determined large and medium VLDL subclasses and VLDL diameter were lower, LDL diameter was higher, medium HDL was higher, and small HDL was lower (all p<0.05). Also, ApoCIII levels were lower (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: In a subset of diabetic men from the VADT, intensive glucose management did not affect conventional lipids or ADLS, but had some beneficial effects on particle characteristics as defined by NMR and on ApoCIII.

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 740 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free