Effect of obesity on the relationship between glycosylated hemoglobin and insulin resistance in young adults

Abstract

Background. The purpose of this prospective case-control research was to compare insulin resistance in obese and non-obese students with regard to glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Material and methods. This study was conducted with a total of 122 students who were determined to be obese (n=35), overweight (n=43) and normal weight (n=44), among students at a university in Türkiye (n=891). Students were first classified according to their Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood samples were taken for fasting blood glucose, HgA1c, and insulin levels. Results. Of the 891 students participating in the study, 4.83% (n=43) were overweight and 3.93% (n=35) were obese. HbA1c levels were found below 5.7 for 72.7% of normal weight students and HbA1c levels were found between 5.7-6.4 for 65.7% of obese students. There was a significant statistical difference between them (p=0.001). When the HOMA-IR value was >3.16, there was a significant difference between the obese group and the other groups (p=0.042). There was a significant positive correlation between BMI and both HbA1c (r=0.299, p=0.001) and HOMA-IR (r=0.432, p=0.000). Conclusions. It was found that HOMA-IR was more common in obese students, and early diagnosis of insulin resistance might be HbA1c. HbA1c can be used since it is inexpensive and simple to evaluate insulin resistance in obese young adults.