Sleep Apnea Treatment Improves Glucose Levels in Prediabetes: Study

According to a new study, the optimal treatment of sleep apnea in patients with prediabetes improves blood sugar levels, thereby lowering cardiometabolic risk.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that is characterized by breathing disturbances during sleep, and is linked with abnormalities in glucose metabolism.  

Insulin produced in the pancreas regulates the metabolism of glucose in the body. A condition in which normal amounts of insulin are not sufficient to produce normal cellular insulin response to glucose ingestion is known as insulin resistance. And low insulin sensitivity is a measure of how sensitive a person's body is to the effect of insulin.

Insulin sensitivity is linked with the development of type 2 diabetes. Nearly two-thirds of people with type 2 diabetes suffer from unrecognized sleep apnea. The breathing disturbances that occur during sleep apnea have been associated with prediabetic conditions, such as insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, as well as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

The study was conducted on 39 adults with sleep apnea and prediabetes. Participants were given either the CPAP treatment or a placebo tablet for two weeks.  Both before and after the study, they had to undergo an oral glucose tolerance test that measured the body's ability to use glucose.

The subjects were made to sleep in the research lab to make sure of optimal adherence to the CPAP treatment. Researchers measured all the markers of diabetes such as glucose tolerance, insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity. The participants' quality and quantity of sleep were also monitored, along with their blood pressure, heart rate, weight, energy expenditure and hormones affecting diabetes risk.

According to lead author Sushmita Pamidi, MD, of the Department of Medicine at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, "We have studied patients with sleep apnea and prediabetes, a condition defined as higher than normal blood glucose levels but not high enough to be considered diabetes. We found that optimal treatment of sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for two weeks led to significant improvements in glucose levels following an oral glucose challenge without affecting insulin secretion, suggesting an improvement in insulin sensitivity."