Abstract

Background—Helicobacter pylori infection raises basal and meal stimulated serum gastrin concentrations and lowers iron stores, which may in turn reduce fasting plasma glucose concentrations in the population.

Aim—To determine whether H pylori infection leads to lower fasting plasma glucose concentrations in the population.

Methods—One hundred and seventy three women and 165 men, randomly selected from the electoral rolls of an Australian city, participated in a cardiovascular risk factor survey. Plasma glucose concentrations and H pylori IgG antibody titres were measured. Non-fasting subjects and pregnant women were excluded, as were known diabetics, whose plasma glucose concentrations would be affected by diet and/or medications. Fasting plasma glucose concentrations were logarithmically transformed and the relation with H pylori infection, adjusting for age and other confounding factors, was determined for men and women separately by analyses of variance.

Results—Helicobacter pylori infection was significantly associated with fasting plasma glucose concentration among women. Infected women had a lower mean fasting plasma glucose concentration (5.2 mmol/litre; range, 3.9–8.2) than did non-infected women (5.4 mmol/litre; range, 3.9–11.1).

Conclusions—Helicobacter pylori infection may lead to lower fasting plasma glucose concentrations among women and should be considered when interpreting concentrations bordering on diabetes.