K Sowndarya1, Joel Abraham Joseph1, Amya Shenoy2, Anupama Hegde1
1Department of Biochemistry, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
2Department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
DOI: 10.4103/jnsbm.JNSBM_193_20
ABSTRACT
Background: Insulin resistance (IR) is the major underlying mechanism responsible for metabolic syndrome and HOMA-IR2 is a validated marker of IR. Fasting lipid profile, including triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol routinely feature in the outpatient investigation list. Utility of TG/HDL ratio as a surrogate marker for IR was thus studied in healthy young males. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 71 young males aged 18–35 years who came for a routine health check in a fasting state. Height, weight, waist circumference were recorded. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and lipid profile reports were collected from the laboratory database. Fasting insulin (FI) was estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Body mass index (kg/m2), TG/HDL, TC/HDL, and HOMA-IR2 were calculated. Results: Mean TG/HDL ratio was 3.73 ± 2.03 and HOMA IR2 was above the standard cut off of ≥2.5 units. Subjects were further divided into two groups based on FPG values. TG, low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, TG/HDL, TC/HDL, FI and HOMA-IR2 were found to be higher in the pre-diabetes with impaired fasting glycemic subjects. Overall, a statistically significant positive correlation was seen (P = 0.01, r = 0.284) between TG/HDL and HOMA-IR2. Conclusion: TG/HDL ratio was significantly associated with IR and it could be used as an indicator of IR especially in prediabetic subjects having impaired fasting glucose.
Keywords: Fasting insulin, HOMA IR2, including triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein, insulin resistance, surrogate marker.
