The Separate and Combined Glucagonotropic Effects of Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide and Alanine in Subjects With and Without Type 1 Diabetes (GIPALANIN)

The hormone glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) is naturally produced in the intestine during a meal and stimulates insulin secretion from the pancreas. Insulin ensures that nutrients from the meal are transported from the blood into the cells, allowing the body to use it as energy. If blood sugar levels drop too much, the body naturally releases another hormone: glucagon. Glucagon is responsible for the breakdown of nutrients inside the cells, thus causing blood sugar levels to rise again. This occurs, for example, when a person is fasting or in an energy deficit. Unfortunately, glucagon is not released in people with type 1 diabetes when blood sugar levels are low. However, it is known that GIP contributes to the secretion of glucagon during low blood sugar levels in both healthy individuals and those with type 1 diabetes.

Protein intake through the diet is broken down in the body into amino acids. It is known that the ingestion of protein and thus amino acids leads to an increase in glucagon in both healthy individuals and those with type 1 diabetes. This causes the amino acids to be converted into sugar, but also allows potentially harmful waste products from the breakdown to be converted into harmless components. The relationship between GIP and amino acids, as well as their joint effect on glucagon, is still unknown, but studies in mice have shown that if GIP and amino acids are given simultaneously, glucagon secretion will be even higher than if they were administered separately. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of how the three (GIP, amino acids, and glucagon) are interconnected and affect each other and to see if the experiments conducted in mice yield the same results in healthy individuals and those with type 1 diabetes. Moreover, the secretion of glucagon, and thus the increase in blood sugar, might protect individuals with type 1 diabetes from experiencing low blood sugar. This knowledge could potentially be used for new treatment approaches in diabetes in the future.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Type 1 Diabetes
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide (GIP); Drug: Saline (NaCl 0,9 %) (placebo); Drug: alanine

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 10
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Denmark
  • Hellerup, Denmark, 2900
    • Gentofte Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Caucasian ethnicity
• Age between 18 and 70 years
• T1D (diagnosed according to the criteria of the World Health Organization) with HbA1c <69 mmol/mol (<8.5%)
• Body mass index between 20-27 kg/m2
• T1D duration of 2-20 years
• C-peptide negative (arginin-stimulated C-peptide ≤ 100 pmol/l)
• Treatment with a stable basal-bolus or insulin pump regimen for ≥3 months
• Informed and written consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Anaemia (haemoglobin below normal range)
• Late microvascular complications except mild nonproliferative retinopathy
• Liver disease (alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) and/or aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) >2 times normal values) or history of hepatobiliary disorder
• Treatment with any glucose-lowering drugs beside insulin
• Active or recent (within 5 years) malignant disease
• Active tobacco smoking / use
• Any condition considered incompatible with participation by the investigators

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Placebo	Drug: Saline (NaCl 0,9 %) (placebo); Placebo
Active Comparator: GIP	Drug: Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide (GIP); GIP; Drug: Saline (NaCl 0,9 %) (placebo); Placebo
Active Comparator: Alanine	Drug: Saline (NaCl 0,9 %) (placebo); Placebo; Drug: alanine; Alanine
Active Comparator: GIP + Alanine	Drug: Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide (GIP); GIP; Drug: alanine; Alanine

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
bsAUC of glucagon concentration	Baseline Area under the curve of Glucagon concentration	From 0-150 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
bsAUC Glucagon 30-90	Baseline corrected area under the curve of time spend in hyoglycaemia	from 30-90 minutes
bsAUC glucagon 90-150 min	bs Glucagon in the recovery period	from 90-150 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Asger Lund, MD

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 16, 2026
• Study Completion (Actual): January 16, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 11, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 11, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 18, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 29, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 28, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: GIP; Amino acids; Alanine
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Endocrine System Diseases; Metabolic Diseases; Autoimmune Diseases; Immune System Diseases; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Diabetes Mellitus; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Hormones; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Pharmacologic Actions; Chemical Actions and Uses; Inorganic Chemicals; Chlorine Compounds; Amino Acids; Sodium Compounds; Chlorides; Hydrochloric Acid; Incretins; Sodium Chloride; Alanine
• Other Study ID Numbers: H-21066812-113790

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No