Ethnic differences in insulin and glucose response to glucose between white and Indian women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

To examine different patterns of glucose and insulin secretion in women (of both Indian and white ethnic backgrounds) with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A 75-g oral glucose tolerance test was performed in 11 subjects from each group. Reproductive Medicine and Gynecological Clinics from The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville, South Australia, and King Edward the VIIIth Hospital, Durban, South Africa. Couples were grouped as follows: Indian nonobese and obese PCOS, Indian nonobese and obese reference subjects, white nonobese and obese PCOS, white nonobese and obese reference subjects. Insulin and glucose in plasma after oral glucose testing. Indian PCOS and nonobese reference subjects had higher insulin responses than whites. The ethnic difference was less pronounced in obese women. There were no ethnic differences in glucose response. This study demonstrates that the ethnic background of subjects with PCOS needs to be considered in studies on the metabolic parameters in this condition.