Anthropometric indicators in identification of insulin resistance in elderly men

DOI: 10.15343/0104-7809.20153902157163

Abstract

Insulin resistance (IR) increases with advancing age, yet the underlying mechanism is not well established. Anthropometric
and body composition indicators are alternative tools for assessing insulin resistance in a fast, non-invasive and inexpensive
way. This study aimed to evaluate the association between anthropometric indicators and insulin resistance in older men.
This cross-sectional study included 62 men aged between 60 and 92 years. We evaluated waist circumference (WC), sagit-
tal abdominal diameter (SAD), body mass index (BMI), sagittal index (SI), conicity index (CI), body fat percentage (BF%),
waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and waist-to-thigh ratio (WTR). IR was determined by homeostasis
model assessment (HOMA-IR). Statistical analysis consisted of correlation coefficient. All anthropometric indicators cor-
related with HOMA-IR, highlighting the SAD (r = 0.680), BF% (r = 0.651) and WC (r = 0.591), which showed the highest
correlations with the index. All measurements showed significant differences and progressive increase with increasing
HOMA-IR. The differences between quartiles of HOMA-IR were even more pronounced for WC, SAD and BF%. BF% was
a significant predictor for insulin resistance. Thus, obesity indicators correlated with the HOMA-IR index. We emphasize
the stronger relationship between measures of central adiposity and insulin resistance, suggesting the usefulness of SAD
in evaluating elderly subjects.