Homeostasis model assessment in a population with mixed ethnicity: the 1992 Singapore National Health Survey

We studied insulin resistance and beta-cell function with reference to ethn ic group, glucose tolerance and other coronary artery disease risk factors in a cross section of the Singapore population which comprises Chinese, Mal ays and Asian Indians. 3568 individuals aged 18-69 were examined. Blood pre ssure, anthropometric data, blood lipids, glucose and insulin were assayed in the fasting state. Glucose and serum insulin were measured 2 h after an oral glucose challenge. Insulin resistance and beta-cell function were calc ulated using homeostasis model assessment. Asian Indians had higher insulin resistance than Chinese or Malays. Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and di abetes mellitus (DM) were associated with greater insulin resistance and im paired beta-cell function compared to normal glucose tolerance (NGT). Insul in resistance was positively correlated with blood pressure in women and to tal cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride in both men and women. It was negatively correlated with HDL cholesterol and LDL/apolipoprotein B ra tio. beta-cell function showed no significant correlations with the cardiov ascular risk Factors studied. It appears that both impaired beta-cell funct ion acid insulin resistance are important for the development of hyperglyce mia whereas insulin resistance alone seems more important in the developmen t of coronary artery disease as it correlates with several known coronary a rtery disease risk factors. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All righ ts reserved.