The relationship between body composition and indicators of hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance in Zuni adolescents

Abstract

The relationships among obesity, body fat distribution, and insulin and glucose levels (fasting and 30-minute post prandial) were examined in Zuni Indian adolescents. Males showed a significantly higher mean lean body mass (LBM), mean waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and mean waist circumference, but a significantly lower mean percent body fat and 30-minute insulin level than did females. Males followed a pattern of abdominal fat distribution while the female pattern was more gluteo-femoral. Increasing mean fasting insulin levels were significantly related to increasing mean fasting glucose levels in both males and females, indicating the presence of insulin resistance in these adolescents. While males and females exhibited a similar correlation between insulin and glucose, females secreted more insulin in response to a glucose load. This study suggests that waist circumference is a preferred method of assessing risk for hyperinsulinemia and possibly insulin resistance than WHR in these adolescents.