Plasma creatine and incident type 2 diabetes in a general population‐based cohort: The PREVEND study

Background Type 2 diabetes is associated with both impaired insulin action at target tissues and impaired insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells. Mitochondrial dysfunction may play a role in both insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion. Plasma creatine has been proposed as a potential marker for mitochondrial dysfunction. We aimed to investigate the association between plasma creatine and incident type 2 diabetes. Methods We measured fasting plasma creatine concentrations by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in participants of the general population‐based PREVEND study. The study outcome was incident type 2 diabetes, defined as a fasting plasma glucose ≥7.0 mmol/L (126 mg/dl); a random sample plasma glucose ≥11.1 mmol/L (200 mg/dl); self‐report of a physician diagnosis or the use of glucose‐lowering medications based on a central pharmacy registration. Associations of plasma creatine with type 2 diabetes were quantified using Cox proportional hazards models and were adjusted for potential confounders. Results We included 4735 participants aged 52 ± 11 years, of whom 49% were male. Mean plasma creatine concentrations were 36.7 ± 17.6 µmol/L, with lower concentrations in males than in females (30.4 ± 15.1 µmol/L vs. 42.7 ± 17.7 µmol/L; p for difference