Factor analysis of the metabolic syndrome components in urban Asian Indian adolescents

There is paucity of data on the association of various risk factors of the metabolic syndrome in urban Asian Indian adolescents. This cross-sectional study included 948 subjects (527 males; 421 females) aged 14-19 y, selected randomly from New Delhi, India. Principal component factor analysis included variables such as: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), triceps (TR) and subscapular (SS) skinfold thickness, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, fasting blood glucose, serum triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and fasting insulin. Factor scores were used to generate a cumulative risk scale and identify independent correlates of high cumulative risk. Three factors namely: obesity/insulin factor (BMI, WC, TR, SS and fasting insulin) explained 40.9% and 35.5%, 'blood pressure' factor explained 14.1% and 14.2%, and the 'metabolic' factor (glucose/triglycerides) explained 10.4% and 10.8% of the variance data in males and females, respectively. Overweight and hyperinsulinemia in both genders and high SS in males were independently associated with high cumulative risk. More than one factor is associated with the metabolic syndrome in Asian Indian adolescents. Obesity (generalized, abdominal and truncal sub-cutaneous) accounts for the maximum variance in clustering and appears to be the stronger correlate of high cumulative risk rather than hyperinsulinemia.