Hormonal
Elevated circulating levels of Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF-15) serve as a robust prognostic biomarker for cardiovascular mortality, heart failure severity, and all-cause mortality in patients with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
If you have diabetes or heart disease, ask your doctor about GDF-15 testing if it is available, as it may provide better risk stratification than standard markers alone. Focus on reducing the underlying stressors: manage blood glucose, control blood pressure, and reduce inflammation through lifestyle changes, as these factors drive GDF-15 elevation.
Higher level of GDF-15 is associated with increased cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality; it plays pivotal role in development and progression of cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, coronary artery diseases, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, cancer, and cognitive impairment
Why this rating
The paper cites multiple large-scale human cohort studies (e.g., Dallas Heart Study, Framingham Offspring) and clinical trials, though it is a review article summarizing observational data.
Source
GDF-15 as a Target and Biomarker for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Translational Prospective
Ramu Adela et al. · Journal of Diabetes Research · 2015
DOI 10.1155/2015/490842
More from this paper
- GDF-15 exhibits a dual role in cardiovascular health: it is cardioprotective against ischemia and hypertrophy via Smad and PI3K/AKT pathways, but its chronic elevation is associated with the progression of atherosclerosis and plaque instability.Good
- GDF-15 acts as a metabolic regulator that decreases food intake, body weight, and adiposity, and improves glucose tolerance, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for obesity and insulin resistance.Moderate
Related findings · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →