FACTORS OF THE INSULIN-RESISTANCE SYNDROME IN NONDIABETIC AND DIABETIC ELDERLY JAPANESE-AMERICAN MEN

Factor analysis has previously identified four independent factors tha t characterize the insulin resistance syndrome in women, interpreted a s 1) weight/waist, 2) lipids, 3) insulin/glucose, and 4) systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Because it is not known whether similar fact ors emerge for men, or for diabetics, factor analysis was used to inve stigate the clustering of features characterizing the insulin resistan ce syndrome using data from 3,159 elderly (71-93 years) Japanese-Ameri can men participating in the fourth examination of the Honolulu Heart Program during 1991-1993. Consistent with previous results, factor ana lysis reduced eight risk factors (insulin, glucose, systolic blood pre ssure, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, high-density lipoprote in cholesterol, weight, and waist circumference) to four uncorrelated factors that explained 78.2% and 74.7% of the variance in nondiabetics (n = 2,760) and diabetics (n = 399), respectively. These factors were interpreted as I)weight/waist, 2) blood pressure, 3) lipids, and 4) i nsulin/glucose. Modest differences in the associations between fasting insulin and factors 1, 3, and 4 were noted for diabetics. These consi stently identified composite factors may represent markers for underly ing pathophysiologic mechanisms of the insulin resistance syndrome and risk of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.