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S M Haffner

Publications and source records attributed to S M Haffner.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Relationship of low-density lipoprotein particle size and measures of adiposity.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if obesity measures are related to measures of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) size and LDL subfractions in a population of Mexican-Americans with high prevalence of obesity. METHODS: LDL size phenotypes, based on nondenaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and staining for cholesterol (using Sudan black B), were determined for 313 unrelated Mexican-American participants in the San Antonio Family Heart Study. LDL size measures included predominant particle diameter, median diameter (particle diameter, where half the LDL absorbance is on larger and half on smaller LDLs) and cholesterol level in various LDL subfractions. Adiposity traits included two measures of general body fatness (body-mass index (BMI) and fat mass determined with bioimpedance) and three measures of regional fat deposition (waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist circumference and subscapular-triceps skinfold ratio (STR)). RESULTS: Gender and diabetes were significantly associated with most LDL size measures. In addition, BMI, WHR, waist circumference and STR were significantly (P<0.05) associated with several LDL size measures. Stepwise regression analysis (including adjustment for age, gender and diabetes status) showed that in every case, the strongest adiposity correlate of LDL size, was WHR, which reflects deposition of visceral fat. If triglyceride (TG) concentration was also included in the models, no fat measure was independently correlated with LDL size, suggesting that elevation of TG, associated with increased adiposity, was more directly correlated with LDL size. Supporting this interpretation, we found that WHR was also the strongest correlate of TG among adiposity measures. Regression analysis of the LDL particle size cholesterol profile expressed in 0.1 nm increments revealed a positive correlation of WHR and LDLs in the interval 25.9-26.3 nm (P < 0.05) and a negative correlation of BMI with LDLs in the interval 27.3-28.1 nm (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that different adiposity measures, reflecting different aspects of fat deposition, are related to specific LDL size intervals. We speculate that increased deposition of fat, particularly visceral fat, is associated with increased TG, which in turn is associated with decreases in LDL particle size.

Adipose Tissue↗

Relative hypoleptinaemia in women with mild gestational diabetes mellitus.

AIMS: There is increasing evidence suggesting that leptin plays a major role in the regulation of energy homeostasis, as well as in the neuroendocrine and reproductive systems. Leptin is synthesized in the human placenta. The aim of this study was to relate serum leptin levels during pregnancy to glucose tolerance, body mass index (BMI) and specific metabolic variables, such as specific insulin and proinsulin. METHODS: A 2-h 75 g oral glucose tolerance test was performed in 221 pregnant women at 22-29 weeks of gestation (median 25th week). Serum leptin was measured using a radioimmunoassay. In 49 women, sequential leptin measurements were performed (during pregnancy and post partum (median 5 months)). RESULTS: During pregnancy serum leptin was significantly related to body weight (r = 0.49), BMI (r = 0.51), fasting immunoreactive insulin (r = 0.46), specific insulin (r = 0.43) and proinsulin (r = 0.29) (all P-values <0.0001). In women with mild gestational diabetes (GDM, n = 55), leptin levels were lower compared to women with normal glucose tolerance (n = 166) after adjusting for BMI and fasting insulin (26.9 vs. 19.4 ng/ml, P = 0.0001). Leptin was significantly higher during pregnancy compared to post partum (mean +/- SE: 24.3+/-1.5 vs. 19.6+/-1.6 ng/ml, P = 0.0003), even after adjustment for changes in BMI and changes in fasting insulin (P = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Leptin levels are elevated in pregnancy. Women with mild GDM presented with relative hypoleptinaemia compared to women with normal glucose tolerance.

Adult↗

Proinsulin in pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance or mild gestational diabetes mellitus.

Pregnancy is characterized by peripheral insulin resistance, which is physiologically compensated by an increase in insulin secretion. Type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) have been associated with an inappropriate increase in insulin precursors, namely proinsulin. The aim of this study was to determine levels of proinsulin (PI), specific insulin (SI) and the proinsulin-to-specific insulin (PI/SI) ratio in consecutive pregnant women (n = 209) with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), as assessed by a 2h oral glucose tolerance test, and with mild gestational diabetes (GDM), in comparison to 32 healthy, non-pregnant women. Furthermore, we related these variables to surrogate markers of insulin resistance and insulin secretion. We found no significant differences in the levels of PI and the PI/ SI ratio between pregnant and non-pregnant women (PI: 5.0 +/- 3.6 vs. 4.8 +/- 3.5 pmol/L, p = NS), and between pregnant women with mild GDM and NGT (PI: 5.4 +/- 2.4 vs. 4.9 +/- 3.9 pmol/L, p = NS). SI was elevated in women with mild GDM (112.2 +/- 47.3 vs. 94.8 +/- 43.0 pmol/L in NGT, p=0.02). PI was related to fasting glucose (r = 0.17, p < 0.02), but not post-load glucose levels, and to fasting insulin [specific insulin: r = 0.67, p = 0.0001; total immunoreactive insulin (IRI): r = 0.69, p = 0.0001], as well as post-load insulin levels (IRI at 120 min: r = 0.18, p < 0.03). The PI/SI ratio showed no association with fasting or post-load glucose or insulin levels. Pregnant women presented with a metabolic pattern suggestive of enhanced insulin resistance, namely increased fasting and post-load insulin levels. In women with mild GDM, fasting and post-load hyperglycemia, as well as an additional increase in insulin resistance was found. Group differences weakened when accounting for differences in body weight. The data of the present study suggest that in normal pregnancy as well as mild GDM metabolic alterations including enhanced insulin resistance and hyperglycemia do not result in an increase in circulating levels of proinsulin, both in absolute terms and relative to levels of specific insulin, as indicated by the proinsulin-to-specific insulin ratio.

Adult↗

LDL size and risk of coronary heart disease in elderly men and women.

A predominance of small, dense, low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles has consistently been associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) in young and middle-aged subjects in cross-sectional studies. Recently, 3 prospective, case-control studies showed that decreased LDL size is a predictor of CHD in middle-aged subjects. However, it is not known whether decreased LDL size is mainly associated with premature CHD or whether it continues to play a role in CHD risk at older ages also. We performed a prospective, nested case-control study in 86 subjects (58 nondiabetic and 28 type 2 diabetic) aged 65 to 74 years who were free of myocardial infarction at baseline and who then had a myocardial infarction or CHD death during a 3.5-year follow-up (cases) and in 172 controls matched for sex and diabetes status but who remained free of CHD during follow-up. LDL particle size determined by gradient gel electrophoresis (268.2+/-0.9 versus 268.5+/-0.7 A, P=0.782) and the proportion of subjects with LDL subclass phenotype B (20.9 versus 21. 5, P=0.914) were similar among cases and controls. Furthermore, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein A(1), fasting glucose, fasting insulin, waist-to-hip ratio, and body mass index were not associated with CHD risk. However, smoking and increased systolic blood pressure, apolipoprotein B levels, and the total cholesterol-high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio were significant predictors of CHD events both in univariate and multivariate analyses. Our findings indicate that LDL size is not a predictor of CHD events in elderly white subjects after controlling for diabetes status.

Aged↗

Relative contribution of insulin and its precursors to fibrinogen and PAI-1 in a large population with different states of glucose tolerance. The Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS).

Hyperinsulinemia is associated with the development of coronary heart disease. However, the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. Hypercoagulability and impaired fibrinolysis are possible candidates linking hyperinsulinism with atherosclerotic disease, and it has been suggested that proinsulin rather than insulin is the crucial pathophysiological agent. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of insulin and its precursors to markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis in a large triethnic population. A strong and independent relationship between plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) antigen and insulin and its precursors (proinsulin, 32-33 split proinsulin) was found consistently across varying states of glucose tolerance (PAI-1 versus fasting insulin [proinsulin], r=0.38 [r=0.34] in normal glucose tolerance; r=0.42 [r=0.43] in impaired glucose tolerance; and r=0.38 [r=0.26] in type 2 diabetes; all P<0.001). The relationship remained highly significant even after accounting for insulin sensitivity as measured by a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. In a stepwise multiple regression model after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, and clinic, both insulin and its precursors were significantly associated with PAI-1 levels. The relationship between fibrinogen and insulin and its precursors was significant in the overall population (r=0.20 for insulin and proinsulin; each P<0.001) but showed a more inconsistent pattern in subgroup analysis and after adjustments for demographic and metabolic variables. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that proinsulin (split products) but not fasting insulin significantly contributed to fibrinogen levels after adjustment for age, sex, clinic, and ethnicity. Decreased insulin sensitivity was independently associated with higher PAI-1 and fibrinogen levels. In summary, we were able to demonstrate an independent relationship of 2 crucial factors of hemostasis, fibrinogen and PAI-1, to insulin and its precursors. These findings may have important clinical implications in the risk assessment and prevention of macrovascular disease, not only in patients with overt diabetes but also in nondiabetic subjects who are hyperinsulinemic.

Arteriosclerosis↗

Low-density lipoprotein particle size is inversely related to plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels. The Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study.

High levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and preponderance of small dense low-density lipoproteins (LDL) have both been associated with atherosclerotic disease and with the insulin resistance syndrome (IRS). In vitro studies have shown a stimulatory effect of various lipoproteins on PAI-1 release from different cells, including endothelial cells and adipocytes. The authors sought to investigate the relation of PAI-1 to LDL particle size in a large tri-ethnic population (n=1549) across different states of glucose tolerance. LDL size was determined by gradient gel electrophoresis, and PAI-1 was measured by a 2-site immunoassay, sensitive to free PAI-1. PAI-1 was inversely related to LDL size in the overall population (r=-0.21, P<0.0001), independent of gender and ethnicity. However, the authors found a significant interaction with glucose tolerance status (P=0.035). In univariate analysis, the association between PAI-1 and LDL size was most pronounced in subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT, r=-0.22, P<0.0001) and weaker in impaired glucose tolerance (IGT, r=-0.12, P=0.03) and type-2 diabetes (r=-0.10, P=0.02). After adjustment for demographic variables and metabolic variables known to influence PAI-1 levels (triglyceride and insulin sensitivity), a significant inverse relation of LDL size to PAI-1 levels was only present in NGT (P=0. 023). In subjects with IGT or overt diabetes, who usually have elevated PAI-1 levels, additional factors other than LDL size seem to contribute more importantly to PAI-1 levels. The demonstrated inverse relation of LDL size and PAI-1 levels provides one possible explanation for the atherogeneity of small dense LDL particles.

Adipose Tissue↗

LDL size in African Americans, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites : the insulin resistance atherosclerosis study.

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and atherosclerosis varies among several minority ethnic groups in the United States. Recently, small, dense low density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size has been recognized as a risk factor for CVD. We examined LDL size as a possible explanation for differences in CVD rates in 1571 subjects from the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS), a multiethnic study of insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk factors. LDL size (A) was significantly different by ethnic group (African Americans 262.1+/-0.6, Hispanics 257.6+/-0.6, and non-Hispanic whites 259.2+/-0.4, P<0.001). Ethnic differences in LDL size continued to be statistically significant after adjustment for upper body adiposity, insulin resistance, and glucose tolerance status. However, after further adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors, especially ethnic differences in triglyceride and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, the ethnic differences in LDL size were markedly attenuated and in general no longer statistically significant. The relation of triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, insulin resistance, and adiposity to LDL size in each ethnic group was similar. LDL size differs by ethnic group, which is independent of obesity or insulin resistance. These ethnic differences appear to be due to ethnic variations in dyslipidemia (especially differences in triglyceride levels); ethnic differences in LDL size are not consistent with previously reported ethnic dissimilarities in CVD or atherosclerosis.

Adipose Tissue↗

Is QT interval a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis in nondiabetic subjects? The Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We studied the relationship of heart rate-corrected QT interval with subclinical atherosclerosis, as determined by ultrasonographic measurement of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in nondiabetic subjects in the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS). Prolonged heart rate-corrected QT interval is an unfavorable prognostic factor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and QT interval prolongation may be the result of atherosclerosis. METHODS: B-mode ultrasound imaging of the carotid artery IMT was performed in a large, triethnic, nondiabetic population free of clinical coronary artery disease (n=912). QT interval was measured on resting electrocardiograms with use of a computer program and corrected for heart rate with standard equations. RESULTS: IMT of the common carotid artery correlated significantly with heart rate-corrected QT interval duration (r=0.15 for QT(60) and r=0.14 for QTc), whereas no relationship between IMT of the internal carotid artery and QT interval was found (r=-0.01). The association was somewhat stronger in women than in men. In a multiple regression analysis adjusting for demographic variables, the association of common carotid artery IMT to heart rate-corrected QT interval remained highly significant, but adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors weakened the relationship. CONCLUSIONS: We found a significant relation of heart rate-corrected QT interval to carotid atherosclerosis in nondiabetic subjects that was stronger in women and partly mediated by cardiovascular risk factors, including hypertension. QT interval may therefore serve as a marker for clinically undetected ("subclinical") atherosclerotic disease.

Arteriosclerosis↗

Prevalence of hypertension in a Mexican population according to the Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension in Mexico represents a challenging public health problem. The National Survey on Chronic Diseases published in 1993 reported that hypertension affects more than 10 million Mexicans. No information has been published regarding the prevalence of hypertension in Mexico using the new diagnostic criteria established by the Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC VI). METHODS: The Mexico City Diabetes Study is a prospective study designed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular risk factors in a low-income area. The survey included 941 men and 1341 non-pregnant women aged 35-64 years. Blood pressure measurements were performed using a random zero sphygmomanometer. The diagnostic criteria for hypertension were those recommended by the JNC VI. RESULTS: The crude prevalence of hypertension was 17.2% and 18.1% in men and women, respectively. We found significant associations between hypertension and obesity, body fat distribution, very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting and 2-h post-glucose in both sexes, and between hypertension and total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides levels in women. In 40% of hypertensive men and 23% of women, hypertension was undiagnosed and untreated. Of the previously diagnosed hypertensive individuals, 38% of men and 30% of women reported not taking antihypertensive medicine. The prevalence++ of associated risk factors in this population is 12.3% for tobacco consumption, 22.4% for diabetes, 49.8% for hypertriglyceridemia and 40.9% for hypercholesterolemia. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension occurs in 18% of this population. There is a high prevalence of undiagnosed and untreated cases. Associated cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent.

Adult↗

Trp64Arg polymorphism of the beta3-adrenergic receptor gene in pregnancy: association with mild gestational diabetes mellitus.

A missense mutation of the beta3-adrenergic receptor gene (Trp64Arg) has been associated with obesity and increased capacity to gain weight in nonpregnant populations. Furthermore, the mutation is a potential modifying factor in the etiology of impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes. We studied the relation of the beta3-adrenergic receptor genotype to glucose tolerance during pregnancy, a state of physiological insulin resistance. In 179 pregnant women (mean age, 28.5 +/- 0.4 yr), a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test was performed between gestational weeks 20 and 31. The beta3-adrenergic receptor genotype was assessed using restriction fragment length polymorphism. The frequency of the Arg64 allele was 9.15%. In women with mild gestational diabetes (n = 70), as defined by 60 min postload glucose values, the Trp64Arg genotype was more frequent than in women with normal glucose tolerance (n = 109; 26% vs. 11%; P = 0.01). Furthermore, the Trp64Arg polymorphism was associated with increased weight gain during pregnancy (baseline to gestational weeks 20-31) and increased postload glucose, insulin, and C peptide values during the oral glucose tolerance test. The results of the present study extend current knowledge about the association of the Trp64Arg beta3-adrenergic receptor polymorphism with glucose tolerance to a pregnant population. The association with mild gestational diabetes suggests that the impact of the polymorphism may be clinically important during pregnancy, a state of physiological insulin resistance.

Adult↗

LDL particle size in relation to insulin, proinsulin, and insulin sensitivity. The Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study.

OBJECTIVE: LDL particles are heterogeneous in terms of size and density; small dense LDL particles are considered more atherogenic than larger LDL particles. The aim of this study was to investigate the interrelationships among LDL size, insulin, proinsulin (intact and split), and insulin sensitivity in a tri-ethnic population with varying degrees of glucose tolerance (n = 1,549) in the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Insulin sensitivity was assessed by a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test with minimal model analysis. Proinsulin levels were measured using highly sensitive assays without detectable cross-reactivity with insulin, and LDL size was determined by gradient-gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: In univariate analyses, LDL size was related to various features of the insulin resistance syndrome, including fasting insulin (r = -0.18), intact proinsulin (r = -0.24), split proinsulin (r = -0.24), the proinsulin-to-insulin ratio (r = -0.14), and insulin sensitivity (r = 0.21; all P < 0.0001). In a multivariate regression model (adjusted for age, BMI, ethnicity, and clinic), triglyceride levels (P = 0.0001), HDL cholesterol (P = 0.0001), sex (P = 0.002), and proinsulin (P = 0.01) were significantly related to LDL size. In the same model stratified by sex, LDL size was significantly inversely related to proinsulin in men (P = 0.005 and P = 0.04 after further adjustment for the glucose tolerance status), but not in women (P > 0.15). CONCLUSIONS: We found an inverse relation of proinsulin to LDL particle size in a large tri-ethnic population with varying degrees of glucose tolerance. This relation was independent of age, BMI, and triglyceride and HDL cholesterol concentrations, and was more pronounced in men than in women.

Arteriosclerosis↗

Insulin sensitivity in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Relationship to cardiovascular risk factors: the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study.

OBJECTIVE: Among nondiabetic subjects, insulin resistance has been associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors, including dyslipidemia, hypertension, impaired fibrinolysis, and coagulation. Less is known about the relationship between insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk factors in subjects with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: To examine this issue, we determined insulin sensitivity (SI) in 479 type 2 diabetic subjects by minimal model analyses of frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance tests in the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS), a large multicenter study of insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular disease in African-Americans, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites. We defined insulin-sensitive subjects as having SI > or = 1.61 x 10(-4) min-1.microU-1.ml-1 (above median in nondiabetic subjects of all ethnic groups in the IRAS). Using this definition, only 37 type 2 diabetic subjects were insulin sensitive, and the remaining 442 were insulin resistant. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, sex, ethnicity, and clinic, insulin resistance was significantly correlated with total triglycerides, VLDL cholesterol, VLDL triglyceride, fibrinogen, PAI-1, and fasting glucose, and was inversely correlated with HDL cholesterol level and LDL size. Carotid intimal-medial thickness was greater in insulin-resistant than in insulin-sensitive subjects, but this difference was not statistically significant. After further adjustment for waist circumference (marker of visceral adiposity), insulin-resistant subjects continued to have higher plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 and VLDL triglyceride levels, lower HDL cholesterol levels, and smaller LDL particle size than did insulin-sensitive subjects. After further adjustment for fasting glucose levels, these results were very similar. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that insulin-resistant type 2 diabetic subjects have more atherogenic cardiovascular risk factor profiles than insulin-sensitive type 2 diabetic subjects and that this is only partially related to increased obesity and an adverse body fat distribution.

Black or African American↗

Epidemiological studies on the effects of hyperglycemia and improvement of glycemic control on macrovascular events in type 2 diabetes.

The relation of glycemia to coronary heart disease in subjects with type 2 diabetes is controversial. Recent data have suggested a significant relation of glycemia to cardiovascular disease in both type 2 diabetes and in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance, although the relation of glycemia to cardiovascular disease appears to be weaker than the relation of glycemia to microvascular disease.

Blood Glucose↗

Metabolic predictors of hypertension.

Hypertensive subjects have increased cardiovascular risk factors including dyslipidemia and increased rates of diabetes and hypertension. Insulin resistance is increased in hypertensive subjects, especially lean subjects. Increased insulin resistance in hypertensive subjects may partially mediate the more atherogenic pattern of cardiovascular risk factors in diabetic subjects. Hypertensive subjects are also at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes possibly by increasing insulin resistance. Hypertensive subjects at particularly high risk of developing type 2 diabetes (i.e. obese or with a family history of type 2 diabetes) should avoid beta-blockers and thiazides.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Mortality from coronary heart disease in subjects with type 2 diabetes and in nondiabetic subjects with and without prior myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes is associated with a marked increase in the risk of coronary heart disease. It has been debated whether patients with diabetes who have not had myocardial infarctions should be treated as aggressively for cardiovascular risk factors as patients who have had myocardial infarctions. METHODS: To address this issue, we compared the seven-year incidence of myocardial infarction (fatal and nonfatal) among 1373 nondiabetic subjects with the incidence among 1059 diabetic subjects, all from a Finnish population-based study. RESULTS: The seven-year incidence rates of myocardial infarction in nondiabetic subjects with and without prior myocardial infarction at base line were 18.8 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively (P<0.001). The seven-year incidence rates of myocardial infarction in diabetic subjects with and without prior myocardial infarction at base line were 45.0 percent and 20.2 percent, respectively (P<0.001). The hazard ratio for death from coronary heart disease for diabetic subjects without prior myocardial infarction as compared with nondiabetic subjects with prior myocardial infarction was not significantly different from 1.0 (hazard ratio, 1.4; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.7 to 2.6) after adjustment for age and sex, suggesting similar risks of infarction in the two groups. After further adjustment for total cholesterol, hypertension, and smoking, this hazard ratio remained close to 1.0 (hazard ratio, 1.2; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.6 to 2.4). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that diabetic patients without previous myocardial infarction have as high a risk of myocardial infarction as nondiabetic patients with previous myocardial infarction. These data provide a rationale for treating cardiovascular risk factors in diabetic patients as aggressively as in nondiabetic patients with prior myocardial infarction.

Case-Control Studies↗

Intensity and amount of physical activity in relation to insulin sensitivity: the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study.

CONTEXT: Exercise training is associated with improved insulin sensitivity (SI), but the potential impact of habitual, nonvigorous activity is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether habitual, nonvigorous physical activity, as well as vigorous and overall activity, is associated with better SI. DESIGN: A multicultural epidemiologic study. SETTING: The Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study, conducted in Oakland, Calif; Los Angeles, Calif; the San Luis Valley, Colo; and San Antonio, Tex. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1467 men and women of African American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white ethnicity, aged 40 to 69 years, with glucose tolerance ranging from normal to mild non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Insulin sensitivity as measured by an intravenous glucose tolerance test. RESULTS: The mean SI for individuals who participated in vigorous activity 5 or more times per week was 1.59 min(-1) x microU(-1) x mL(-1) x 10(-4) (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39-1.79) compared with 0.90 (95% CI, 0.83-0.97) for those who rarely or never participated in vigorous activity, after adjusting for potential confounders (P<.001). When habitual physical activity (estimated energy expenditure [EEE]) was assessed by 1-year recall of activities, the correlation coefficient between SI and total EEE was 0.14 (P<.001). After adjustment for confounders, vigorous and nonvigorous levels of EEE (metabolic equivalent levels > or = 6.0 and <6.0, respectively) were each positively and independently associated with SI (P< or =.01 for each). The association was attenuated after adjustment for the potential mediators, body mass index (a measure of weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters), and waist-to-hip ratio. Results were similar for subgroups of sex, ethnicity, and diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Increased participation in nonvigorous as well as overall and vigorous physical activity was associated with significantly higher SI. These findings lend further support to current public health recommendations for increased moderate-intensity physical activity on most days.

Adult↗

Plasma leptin is not associated with insulin resistance and proinsulin in non-diabetic South Asian Indians.

In an earlier study, we observed only a weak association between plasma insulin (non-specific assay) and leptin in South Asian Indians. This was in contrast to the observations in many other ethnic groups. With the availability of measurements of specific insulin (SI) and proinsulin (PI) in the same study group, we have reanalysed the data to look for possible correlation of leptin with proinsulin and with insulin resistance calculated from the fasting values of specific insulin and glucose using the HOMA model. Subjects with normoglycaemia (n = 117) and impaired glucose tolerance (n = 27, WHO criteria) were included in the analysis. Leptin values were higher in women. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the variations in leptin concentrations in men were associated with BMI, WHR, and 2 h SI values (R2 = 56.2%) while fasting SI and proinsulin concentrations had no significant association. In women BMI and age showed a significant association with serum leptin values (R2 = 40.1%). Univariate and multivariate analyses using insulin resistance as the dependent variable showed that it had no association with leptin in both genders. Leptin had no correlation with proinsulin also. This study confirmed that in Asian Indians the association between plasma leptin and insulin concentrations is weak and that leptin has no influence on insulin resistance. Proinsulin and leptin are also not correlated in this population. Insulin resistance shows correlation with the beta-cell function both in men and women.

Adult↗