Insulin Resistance in Association with Metabolic Syndrome in Wasit University Students in Iraq

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and insulin resistance (IR) are increasing in prevalence worldwide. Each carries risks for the development diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. These risks will be greatly exaggerated if they occur together in the same individual. This study aimed to find the prevalence of IR in subjects with MetS and the association between these two condition and the potential risk factors for their development in university students. In this cross-sectional study, participants were selected from Wasit University in Wasit, Iraq. The recruited candidates were apparently healthy aged between 18 and 25 years. The diagnosis of MetS was depending on the IDF/AHA/NHLBI criteria, and HOMA-IR was used to determine IR. Anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were recorded for each participant; along with the measurement of fasting serum levels of insulin, glucose, and lipid profile. From 124 MetS subjects in this study, the prevalence of IR was (24.2%). The component of MetS that were significantly associated with the risk of insulin resistance is central obesity (OR 2.24) and high blood pressure (BP) with (OR 2.107, 2.41) for systolic and diastolic blood pressure respectively, also found that Body mass index (BMI) ≥25, smoking and consumption of fast food were risk factors for the development of IR (OR 6.107, 2.633, 3.45) respectively. Insulin resistance is quite common in Iraqi university students with MetS. The more encountered MetS components were central obesity and high BP; moreover, overweight, smoking and the tendency for consumption of fast food are the major risk factors for IR in those individuals.