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ARTICLE

Use of Metabolic Markers To Identify Overweight Individuals Who Are Insulin Resistant

right arrow Tracey McLaughlin, MD; Fahim Abbasi, MD; Karen Cheal, MPH; James Chu, MD; Cindy Lamendola, MSN; and Gerald Reaven, MD

18 November 2003 | Volume 139 Issue 10 | Pages 802-809

Background: Insulin resistance is more common in overweight individuals and is associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Given the current epidemic of obesity and the fact that lifestyle interventions, such as weight loss and exercise, decrease insulin resistance, a relatively simple means to identify overweight individuals who are insulin resistant would be clinically useful.

Objective: To evaluate the ability of metabolic markers associated with insulin resistance and increased risk for cardiovascular disease to identify the subset of overweight individuals who are insulin resistant.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: General clinical research center.

Patients: 258 nondiabetic, overweight volunteers.

Measurements: Body mass index; fasting glucose, insulin, lipid and lipoprotein concentrations; and insulin-mediated glucose disposal as quantified by the steady-state plasma glucose concentration during the insulin suppression test. Overweight was defined as body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or greater, and insulin resistance was defined as being in the top tertile of steady-state plasma glucose concentrations. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was used to identify the best markers of insulin resistance; optimal cut-points were identified and analyzed for predictive power.

Results: Plasma triglyceride concentration, ratio of triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, and insulin concentration were the most useful metabolic markers in identifying insulin-resistant individuals. The optimal cut-points were 1.47 mmol/L (130 mg/dL) for triglyceride, 1.8 in SI units (3.0 in traditional units) for the triglyceride–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, and 109 pmol/L for insulin. Respective sensitivity and specifity for these cut-points were 67%, 64%, and 57% and 71%, 68%, and 85%. Their ability to identify insulin-resistant individuals was similar to the ability of the criteria proposed by the Adult Treatment Panel III to diagnose the metabolic syndrome (sensitivity, 52%, and specificity, 85%).

Conclusions: Three relatively simple metabolic markers can help identify overweight individuals who are sufficiently insulin resistant to be at increased risk for various adverse outcomes. In the absence of a standardized insulin assay, we suggest that the most practical approach to identify overweight individuals who are insulin resistant is to use the cut-points for either triglyceride concentration or the triglyceride–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration ratio.


Editors' Notes
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Context

  • Insulin resistance is associated with adverse outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The insulin suppression test, the gold standard method of diagnosing insulin resistance, is cumbersome to administer. A simple method to identify persons with insulin resistance would be useful.

Contribution

  • In a group of overweight individuals, 3 easily measured variables (triglyceride levels, the ratio of triglyceride to high density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol levels, and insulin concentration) identified insulin-resistant individuals with sensitivities of 57% to 67% and specificities of 68% to 85%.

Implications

  • Triglyceride levels, the triglyceride-HDL cholesterol ratio, and insulin concentration are imperfect but practical methods for identifying overweight persons who are insulin resistant and at greatest risk for complications.

–The Editors

 

Author and Article Information
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From Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.

Grant Support: By National Institutes of Health grants RR000070-40 and RR16071-01.

Potential Financial Conflicts of Interest: None disclosed.

Requests for Single Reprints: Gerald Reaven, MD, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Falk Cardiovascular Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305.

Current Author Addresses: Drs. McLaughlin and Chu: Division of Endocrinology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Room S005, Stanford, CA 94305-5103.

Drs. Reaven, Abbasi, and Ms. Lamendola: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Falk Cardiovascular Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305.

Ms. Cheal: Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 350 Longwood Avenue, Suite 201, Boston, MA 02115.

Author Contributions: Conception and design: T. McLaughlin, K. Cheal, J. Chu, G. Reaven.

Analysis and interpretation of the data: T. McLaughlin, G. Reaven.

Drafting of the article: T. McLaughlin, G. Reaven.

Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: T. McLaughlin, G. Reaven.

Final approval of the article: T. McLaughlin, G. Reaven.

Provision of study materials or patients: T. McLaughlin, F. Abbasi, C. Lamendola, G. Reaven.

Statistical expertise: T. McLaughlin, K. Cheal, G. Reaven.

Obtaining of funding: T. McLaughlin, G. Reaven.

Administrative, technical, or logistic support: T. McLaughlin, F. Abbasi, C. Lamendola.

Collection and assembly of data: T. McLaughlin, F. Abbasi.


Related articles in Annals:

Summaries for Patients
Use of Common Laboratory Tests To Identify People with Insulin Resistance
Annals 2003 139: I-16. [Full Text]  

Letters
Metabolic Markers of Insulin Resistance in Overweight Persons
Ali A. Rizvi
Annals 2004 141: 243. [Full Text]  

Letters
Metabolic Markers of Insulin Resistance in Overweight Persons
Tracey McLaughlin AND Gerald Reaven
Annals 2004 141: 243-244. [Full Text]  



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