Insulin resistance, now linked to 31 different diseases, has also been associated with higher odds of premature death in women, according to a new study.
The causes of insulin resistance are not fully understood, but excess weight and lack of physical activity are thought to be the main contributing factors.
To find out more, Jing Wu of the Department of Endocrinology at Shandong Provincial Hospital in China and colleagues analyzed data from the UK Biobank, which contains genetic, medical and lifestyle information provided by more than 500,000 people in the United Kingdom.
Blood sugar and fat levels, including cholesterol, were used to calculate each participant’s TyG index, a measure of insulin resistance.
TyG index scores ranged from 5.87 to 12.46 units, with an average reading of 8.71 units.
Participants with a higher TyG score, and therefore a greater degree of insulin resistance, at the start of the study tended to be male, older, less active, smokers and obese, found the study published in the journal Diabetologia.
By tracking the participants’ health for a median of 13 years, researchers were able to link insulin resistance to 31 diseases.
Insulin resistance was associated with an increased risk of developing 26 of these diseases, including sleep disorders, bacterial infections, and pancreatitis, and a higher degree of insulin resistance was associated with a higher likelihood of developing the disease.
In women, each one-unit increase in insulin resistance was associated with an 11 percent higher risk of dying during the study period.
This showed that insulin resistance is associated with all-cause mortality in women, but no relationship was found in men.
Specifically, each one-unit increase in insulin resistance was associated with an 18 percent higher risk of sleep disorders, an 8 percent higher risk of bacterial infections and a 31 percent higher risk of pancreatitis, the study found.
“We have shown that by assessing the degree of insulin resistance, it is possible to identify individuals who are at risk of developing obesity, hypertension, heart disease, gout, sciatica and some other diseases,” Wu said.
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