In men newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, higher levels of IGF‑1 were linked to better insulin sensitivity during a controlled low‑blood‑sugar test, while hormones like cortisol and growth hormone rose more sharply. This suggests IGF‑1 could be a useful marker for how well the body handles glucose, but the study does not test IGF‑1 supplementation or give dosing advice.

The mechanisms governing dynamic regulation of counterregulatory hormones in type 1 diabetes (T1DM) remain incompletely understood. To eliminate potential confounding effects of female sex hormones and menstrual cycle variations on insulin sensitivity and counter-regulatory hormone secretion, this study investigated the correlation between counter-regulatory hormone levels and insulin resistance in male patients with T1DM. From March 2022 to December 2022, 34 male patients with newly diagnosed T1DM and 8 male normal people without DM were included. Counter-regulatory hormone levels and clinical characteristics were collected. All the included T1DM subjects were treated with intensive insulin therapy by insulin pump for 1 week to achieve glycemic control, followed by using the hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic clamp to determine the steady-state glucose infusion rate, an indicator of insulin sensitivity. The chemiluminescent immunometric assay was also used to measure circulating counter-regulatory hormones, such as glucagon (GCG), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), growth hormone (GH), and cortisol (Cor) at 0min and 30min during hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic test. Correlation analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between insulin-stimulated glucose disposal rates (M value) and counter-regulatory hormone levels. The T1DM group exhibited lower fasting C-peptide levels than the normal group (p<0.050). During the hypoglycemic clamp test and in the hypoglycemic state, the T1DM group showed a greater magnitude of increase in Cor and GH levels than the control group, whereas GCG displayed an opposite trend. Moreover, the M value was negatively correlated with ACTH, COR, and GH, and positively correlated with IGF-1 in male patients with newly diagnosed T1DM. The current study demonstrates that inhibiting the upregulation of insulin counter-regulatory hormone levels contributes to impaired insulin regurgitator response during hypoglycaemia in newly man diagnosed T1DM patients. This study provides insight into the glycaemic control benefits of insulin counter-regulatory hormones, and insulin counter-regulatory hormone levels may serve as a potential biomarker for assessing the blood glucose control risk of T1DM. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (CT.gov identifier: NCT05290207).