Association between birth weight and insulin sensitivity in healthy young men in Korea: role of visceral adiposity

Recent studies have demonstrated decreased insulin sensitivity in individua ls with low birth weight. This study was performed to examine whether abdom inal obesity is a link between insulin resistance and low birth weight. We studied the relationships between birth weight and insulin secretion, insul in sensitivity, and various anthropometric indices including visceral fat a rea in 22 healthy young Korean adults. Birth weight correlated significantl y with diastolic blood pressure (r = - 0.47, P < 0.05) and insulin sensitiv ity index (S-1) measured by a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolera nce test (FSIGT) (r = 0.54, P < 0.05), but not with insulin secretory indic es such as acute insulin responses during FSIGT (r = - 0.35, NS) or hypergl ycemic clamp (r = 0.17, NS) and submaximum insulin response during hypergly cemic clamp (r = 0.10, NS). S-1 correlated significantly with abdominal obe sity measurements such as waist circumference (r = - 0.48, P < 0.05), waist -to-hip ratio (r = - 0.53, P < 0.05) and visceral fat area (r= - 0.58, P < 0.01). However, we could not find significant correlation between birth wei ght and any of the abdominal obesity measurements (r = - 0.35 for waist-to- hip ratio, r = - 0.22 for visceral Fat area, and r = - 0.24 For visceral-to -subcutaneous fat ratio; NS for all). The present data confirm that low bir th weight is associated with insulin resistance in adult life. However, our data suggest that the association between low birth weight and insulin res istance is not mediated by abdominal obesity. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ire land Ltd. All rights reserved.