RESISTANCE TO INSULIN-STIMULATED GLUCOSE-UPTAKE AND DYSLIPIDEMIA IN ASIAN INDIANS

Persons from the Indian subcontinent have elevated coronary heart dise ase risk. We measured insulin resistance with the insulin suppression test in 22 Asian Indian men and women and an equal number of control s ubjects of European ancestry matched for age and body mass index. Asia n men and women had increased glucose and insulin responses to oral gl ucose tolerance tests (P<.05 by ANOVA) and had approximately 60% highe r steady-state plasma glucose levels during the insulin suppression te st (P<.001 by ANOVA), consistent with insulin resistance. In response to mixed meals, Asian women had higher plasma free fatty acids and gly cerol concentrations than women of European ancestry (P<.02 by ANOVA), whereas Asian Indian men had similar free fatty acid and glycerol lev els compared with men of European ancestry despite higher plasma insul in levels. Thus, results in both sexes were consistent with resistance to insulin suppression of free fatty acid levels in Asian Indians. As ian Indians of both sexes had higher fasting plasma triglyceride (P<.0 1) and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P<.01) concentratio ns than men and women of European ancestry. Resistance to insulin-stim ulated glucose uptake and to insulin suppression of free fatty acid le vels in Asian Indians is associated with a number of metabolic abnorma lities that are demonstrated risk factors for coronary heart disease, including increased glucose, insulin, and triglyceride concentrations and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations.