Diagnostic Performance of Anthropometric Weight and Height Markers Associated With Insulin Resistance Diagnosis

Abstract

Background: The detection of insulin resistance (IR) is crucial to avoid long-term complications. Given that the classic methods for its measurement are challenging to implement, simpler methods are sought for its detection. The aim of the study is to determine the association and diagnostic performance of four anthropometric markers based on weight and height for IR in a sample of Peruvians.

Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of the data. The variables were body mass index (BMI), the triponderal index (TPI), the new BMI (NBMI), and the University of Navarra Clinic-Body Fat Estimator index (CUN-BAE index). IR was measured using the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). The association was evaluated using the odds ratio (OR), while for diagnostic performance, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the corresponding area under it (AUC) were applied.

Results: The prevalence of IR was 17.11%. The adjusted multivariate analysis found that the association with IR significantly increased with the increase of their levels, especially in the third tertile in BMI (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 18.2; 95% confidence interval (CI): 8.73 - 44.6), TPI (aOR: 17.2; 95% CI: 8.34 - 40.6), NBMI (aOR: 16.5; 95% CI: 8.12 - 38.3) and CUN-BAE index (aOR: 20.8; 95% CI: 10.6 - 47.1). In addition, BMI had the highest AUC = 0.854 (0.824 - 0.884), cutoff = 27.44, sensitivity = 85.03 (78.70 - 90.07) and specificity = 73.42 (70.23 - 76.44).

Conclusions: Based on the markers that only use weight and height, BMI showed the best association and diagnostic performance for detecting IR. It is advisable to conduct prospective studies to verify these findings. If such results are corroborated, BMI could become a valuable predictor for identifying IR in different populations.

J Endocrinol Metab. 2024;14(3):149-157
doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jem891