Studies of association between fasting insulin and metabolic syndrome
| Authors | Study year | Study population | % MetS | Fasting insulin | Risk of MetS | Main finding | Reference |
| Saravia G et al | 2009 to 2010 Cross-sectional | 3200 non-diabetic males in Spain | 23 | Highest tertile (≥6.13) versus lowest (≤3.80) μU/mL | OR (95% CI) 11.36 (8.65 to 15.13) for MetS | Per each 10 pmol/L (1.4 uU/mL) increase in insulin, the odds for metabolic syndrome increased by 1.43 (95%CI: 1.38 to 1.49) | 20 |
| Rutter MK et al | (1991 to 1995) to (1998 to 2001) 7-year prospective | 2616 non-diabetic adults in Europe | – | 1-quintile change in fasting insulin (pmol/L) | mean (95% CI) 0.12 (0.10 to 0.15) (MetS trait score 7- year change) | Change in metabolic trait clustering was significantly associated with baseline levels and changes in fasting insulin. | 36 |
| Sung KC et al | 2003 to 2008 5-year cohort | 2350 non-MetS in Korea | 8.5 (incidence) | Highest quartile (≥8.98) versus lowest (≤6.01) IU/ml | OR (95% CI) of developing MS 5.1 (3.1 to 8.2) | The highest quartile of the insulin levels had more than a five times greater risk of developing MS compared with the participants in the lowest quartile. | 19 |
| Kanda H et al | 2000, 2001 Cross-sectional | 456 in Mongolia | 6.4 | Highest tertile (≥10.33) versus lowest (≤6.72) mmol/L | Percentage of MetS 17.1% versus 4.6% | Fasting plasma insulin is associated with MetS in farmers, but not nomads among the Mongolian population in China. | 25 |
| STOPP-T2D PSG* 2008 | 2003 Cross-sectional | 1453 eighth grade adolescents in the USA. | 9.5 | Highest quintile (≥39.1) versus lowest (≤17.0) μU/mL | OR (95% CI) 199.64 (31.29 to 1273.7) for MetS | The highest insulin quintile was almost 200 times more likely to be classified with the metabolic syndrome than participants in the lowest quintile. | 26 |
| Adam FM et al | 2005 Cross-sectional | 128 overweight/obese in Indonesia | 68.8 | Mean fasting insulin levels 15.68±7.85 versus 3.16±2.53 (uU/ml) with five components versus one component of MetS. | There is a strong linear increase in fasting insulin levels with an increase in the number of metabolic syndrome. | 27 | |
*STOPP-T2D PSG: Studies to Treat or Prevent Paediatric Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Study Group.
Mets and MS, Metabolic syndrome.