IGF binding proteins and mortality

Ageing is associated with gradual deterioration in health and well-being, and with a range of endocrine changes which may contribute to disease. This includes a decline in GH secretion resulting in a reduction in circulation IGF1. Controversy remains whether differences in the levels of IGF1 and its binding proteins 1 and 3 (IGFBR1 and IGFBP3) determine health outcomes during ageing. Resolving this uncertainty and clarifying whether low or high levels of IGF1 and IGFBPs are robust markers of all-cause or CVD-related mortality would help determine the feasibility of testing interventions that modulate levels of IGF1 to preserve health, particularly in older adults. Yeap et al. tested the hypothesis that IGF1, IGFBP1 and IGFBP3 levels independently predict mortality in a community-dwelling older men by conducting a prospective cohort study on men aged over 70 years. A total of 3983 men were followed-up for 5.2 years. They found that higher IGFBP1 and lower IGFBP3 levels predict overall and CVD-related mortality, while IGF1 levels are not associated with mortality. Yeap et al. (2011) European Journal of Endocrinology 164 715-723.

Read the full article at DOI:10.1530/EJE-11-0059.