NECK CIRCUMFERENCE – A MARKER OF INSULIN RESISTANCE IN THE NORMAL-WEIGHT POLISH

Abstract

Background. Insulin resistance (IR) is an underlying mechanism in various disorders, including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, several types of cancer and endocrinopathies. Previous research has confirmed that neck circumference (NC) could be a good predictor of metabolic disorders, including IR in overweight individuals. The aim of our study is to investigate the association between the NC and IR in normal-weight Polish individuals to evaluate if this simple measurement could potentially be used as a screening method of IR. Materials and methods. The study participants were 73 Caucasian men and women who were 19–65 years old and of normal weight. The anthropometric parameters were measured using validated tools. Insulin resistance was defined using Matthew’s method. Result. There was no significant relationship between NC and serum insulin level or IR. Conclusion. According to our study, NC is not a good predictor of IR in normal-weight Polish individuals. However, larger population studies are needed to further investigate the association between these two parameters.