CLUSTERING OF METABOLIC DISORDERS AND HYPERINSULINEMIA IN MEXICO-CITY

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between fasting insulin con centrations and several metabolic and anthropometric variables in the Mexico City population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, randomized, stratifie d by age, sex and economically active and inactive. SUBJECTS: 700 heal thy adults, older than 20 years, 396 males and 304 females. MEASUREMEN TS: Body mass index, waist to hip ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, insulin, glucose, triglycerides, total, HDL and LDL choleste rol and lipoprotein(a). RESULTS: Means for age were 39 +/- 13 years fo r men and 41 +/- 12 for women (p < 0.05). In males, the mean values of body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pre ssure, triglycerides, glucose and LDL-cholesterol: HDL-cholesterol inc reased significantly with higher insulin levels, A significant inverse tendency was observed for the mean concentrations of HDL-cholesterol and lipoprotein(a). Age, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were no t related to the insulin levels. A similar pattern was observed in wom en, significance, however, was only obtained for the body mass index, triglycerides, glucose, HDL-cholesterol and lipoprotein(a). Age-adjust ed multiple regression analysis showed that insulin was directly and i ndependently associated to triglyceride levels and inversely with lipo protein(a) concentrations for both sexes, and with HDL-C, only in male s. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of insulin resistance related metabolic disorders was high in a random sample of the Mexico City population. Increased cardiovascular risk factors associated with the insulin resi stance syndrome were observed with higher insulin levels, and lipoprot ein(a) was inversely and significantly related to insulin, Preventive strategies are urgently needed to avoid the already increased incidenc e of morbidity and mortality associated to atherosclerotic disease.