Association between thyroid hormones and HOMA-IR in Saudi-obese women with metabolic syndrome
BackgroundThe obesity epidemic is a pressing global health concern, as obesity rates continue to climb worldwide. The current study was aimed mainly to evaluate the correlation between thyroid hormones and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance in Saudi obese women with metabolic syndrome.\n\nMethods100 obese women aged 25 to 55 years were clinically evaluated, from which 72 women were diagnosed with the metabolic syndrome and 28 without metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance was quantified using the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance method and the resulting values were analyzed for association with demographic, clinical, and metabolic parameters.\n\nResultsThis analysis revealed that body mass index, systolic blood pressure, and biochemical parameters and fasting insulin showed statistically higher levels in the group with metabolic syndrome compared to the group without metabolic syndrome. Similarly, values of waist circumference, fat ratio, cholesterol, free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance results were higher in the group with metabolic syndrome as compared to the group without metabolic syndrome. Correlation analysis revealed positive association of thyroid-stimulating hormone with waist circumference (P=0.01), total cholesterol (P=0.002), fasting insulin (P=0.03) and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance results (P<0.01), and negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure (P=0.013) and age (P=0.05). Free thyroxine was positively associated with triglyceride level (P=0.003) and negatively associated with homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance values (P=0.035) and fasting insulin. Free triiodothyronine was positively associated with body mass index (P=0.032) and waist circumference (P= 0.006) and negatively with age (P=0.004) and total cholesterol (P=0.001).\n\nHomeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance test revealed elevated level with positive association of body mass index, waist circumference, biochemical parameters and thyroid-stimulating hormone in insulin resistant obese women. Higher level of free triiodothyronine was found to be associated with low insulin sensitivity.