The relation between insulin resistance and lifestyle in Japanese female university students

Using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index, we investigated the link between insulin resistance and lifestyle in Japanese female university students. We used data for 57 Japanese female university students (21.0±0.8 years) who were enrolled in a cross-sectional investigation study. We performed full blood examinations, and anthropometric parameters, nutrient oral intake and daily step counts were measured. The mean HOMA index for the subjects was 1.3±0.6, and 12 subjects were over the level of 1.6, which is considered to indicate insulin resistance in Japan. The HOMA index was positively correlated with abdominal circumference (r＝0.542, p＜0.0001), triglycerides, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and systolic blood pressure. In addition, the HOMA index was negatively correlated with n-3 fatty acid and positively correlated with the n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio (r＝0.304, p＝0.0216). Daily step count was negatively correlated with the HOMA index, but not at a significant level (r＝－0.237, p＝0.0809). Higher HOMA index in some Japanese female university students was noted, and that was associated with lifestyle, especially n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio of nutrient oral intake.