Distribution of triglycerides and glucose (TyG) index and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance for the evaluation of insulin sensitivity on late adolescence in Mexicans

Abstract

Introduction: when peripheral tissues don't respond well to insulin action, it is defined as insulin resistance (IR). Many methods and indices are available for the estimation of IR, among them the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) involves fasting plasma glucose and insulin. Nevertheless, the TyG index has a methodological advantage over the HOMA-IR because it requires only measurements provided by routine laboratory tests. Aim: distribution asessment of the HOMA-IR and TyG indexes in the sample. Also, to determine the predictive capacity of HOMA-IR, using TyG cutoff point as IR-positive diagnostic test. Materials and methods: a cross-sectional analytical study with 1686 participants aged 18 to 21 years from the state of San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Anthropometric assessment involves variables of weight and height. Fasting glucose, insulin and triglyceride concentrations were quantified. In addition, a questionnaire was carried out to know the hereditary family history and the presence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Student's t-test was used to assess the differences in mean statistics between males and females. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to examine the potential of HOMA-IR to identify IR. Results: 56 % of the study adolescents were females and 44 % were males; mean BMI was 22.62 ± 3.21 kg/m2. In the total sample mean serum glucose, insulin, and triglyceride concentrations were 89.48 ± 9.84 mg/dL, 6.26 ± 5.04 µU/mL, and 95.64 ± 55.78 mg/dL, respectively. A prevalence of 28.2 % of IR was determined, evaluated with the cut-off points for the TyG index. Subsequently, Receiver Operator Curves (ROC) were performed to evaluate the predictive capacity of HOMA-IR. The most outstanding cut-off value was 1.08 for the HOMA-IR index, reaching a sensitivity of 66 % and a specificity of 53 %. The prevalence of HOMA-IR greater than or equal to 1.18 was 47 % in the total population, 19.3 % in males and 28.5 % in females Conclusions: HOMA-IR and TyG can be useful diagnostic parameters for the assessment of IR in late adolescence. To provide a health guide for IR, we propose that a HOMA-IR target value ≤ 1.08 should be considered.