Insulin resistance in nonobese, euglycemic and normotensive first-degree relatives of individuals with obesity

Abstract

Insulin resistance (IR) is reportedly high in individuals with obesity and relatives of patients with diabetes. However, there is a paucity of data on its prevalence in first-degree relatives of obese individuals. The study aimed to determine whether nonobese, normotensive and euglycemic first-degree relatives of obese individuals differ in IR from controls. This cross-sectional study compared 35 first-degree, nonobese, normotensive, euglycemic relatives of obese individuals with 35 age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) matched first-degree relatives of normotensive, euglycemic, nonobese individuals. More than 1/3rd of subjects in the study group had IR as compared to the control group [34% (95% CI: 21–51) vs. 14% (6–9); p=0.05]. It highlights an important trend of higher IR in first-degree relatives of the at-risk populations. Hyperinsulinemia was also higher in the study group (37% vs. 17%). Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and serum insulin levels were higher in the group with IR [47% vs. 9.4%; p=0.001 (IFG) and 184 vs. 114 (serum insulin); p<0.0001). We observed a high proportion of healthy relatives of individuals with obesity to have IR. There is a need to closely monitor these apparently healthy individuals for the development of diabetes mellitus. Our findings are exploratory and provide novel information that needs further confirmation.