Correlates of Insulin Resistance in Nascent Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), a major global problem, is a cluster of cardio-metabolic risk factors that predisposes to both type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Insulin resistance is a major underpinning of MetS.

We investigated the relationship between insulin resistance and biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, free fatty acids (FFA) levels and adipokine dysregulation in a cohort of nascent MetS.

This was a cross-sectional study comparing patients with MetS with matched controls.

Participants included 47 patients with MetS and 41 controls. Persons with diabetes, ASCVD, smoking and macro-inflammation were excluded. Fasting blood was obtained for both plasma and monocyte isolation. Homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was calculated from fasting glucose and insulin levels.

The patients were insulin resistant as determined by a valid measure, HOMA-IR. HOMA-IR increased with increasing severity of MetS and correlated with cardio-metabolic features, hsCRP, FFA levels, and adipose tissue insulin resistance. Insulin resistance also correlated with biomarkers of oxidative stress and both circulating and cellular biomarkers of inflammation. Receiver operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that HOMA-IR was an excellent predictor of MetS with an area under the curve of 0.80.

In our patients with nascent MetS we show that they have significant insulin resistance. Based on our findings, elevated FFA levels, oxidative stress and inflammation could contribute to the insulin resistance.