Low-dose Insulin Doesn't Affect Kids' Growth

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Data from a diabetes prevention trial show that low-dose insulin treatment has no apparent effect on body weight or physical development in adolescents and children who are at increased risk of developing diabetes type 1.

"The role of insulin in body weight regulation has been the subject of much debate," senior investigator Dr. David S. Ludwig told Reuters Health. "Some experts argue that insulin acts in the brain to decrease hunger and food intake. Others propose that insulin acts in the periphery to promote fat deposition."

To look into this question further, Ludwig of Children's Hospital Boston and colleagues analyzed data from a trial of low-dose insulin aimed at preventing the development of type 1 diabetes in those at risk.

As reported in the medical journal Diabetes Care, the team focused on 55 young subjects who underwent insulin therapy and 45 who were just closely monitored. At the start of the study, the participants ranged in age from 4 to almost 19 years.

Over the course of two years, there were no differences between the groups in physical development. In particular, there were no differences in average weight, body mass index or height between children on low-dose insulin and those who were untreated.

Ludwig concluded: "The results of our study indicate that insulin at low doses in children causes neither weight gain nor weight loss, possibly because central and peripheral actions are closely counter-balanced."

He added that further research is needed "to determine whether insulin, or agents that block insulin action, could play a role in body weight management."

SOURCE: Diabetes Care, August 2005.