Insulin Resistance Linked to Risk for More Than 30 Diseases

MONDAY, Sept. 9, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Insulin resistance (IR) is associated with multiple systemic diseases, according a study presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, held from Sept. 9 to 13 in Madrid.

Jing Wu and Y. Song, from the Cheeloo College of Medicine at Shandong University in Jinan, China, explored the correlation between IR and systemic diseases using data from the U.K. Biobank, which recruited more than 500,000 participants aged 40 to 69 years. The degree of IR was measured using the triglyceride-glucose index and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio.

The researchers identified a correlation between IR and 31 diseases (26 positive and five negative correlations) during a median follow-up of 13 years, and for all-cause mortality among women. Strong associations were seen for IR with diabetes, gout, disorders of lipoprotein metabolism, and other lipidemias. A novel finding of an association between IR and diseases such as gout, Parkinson disease, and sciatica was seen.

“We have shown that by assessing the degree of insulin resistance, it is possible to identify individuals who are at risk of developing obesity, hypertension, heart disease, gout, sciatica, and some other diseases,” Wu said in a statement. “This provides a basis for early intervention measures to reduce the risk of disease and also offers new ideas for disease prevention and treatment.”

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