Hyperinsulinemia is commonly associated with obesity, but it has not been determined which defect comes first. Some have proposed that hyperinsulinemia may precede obesity in populations prone to NIDDM, such as Pima Indians or Pacific Islanders. In contrast, longitudinal studies in adults show that insulin sensitivity and low fasting insulin concentrations are associated with increased weight gain, whereas insulin resistance seems to protect against weight gain. The present study examined whether fasting plasma hyperinsulinemia is a risk factor for weight gain in prepubertal children in the Pima Indian population—a population that is prone to obesity. Fasting plasma insulin concentration was measured in 328 5- to 9-year-old Pima Indian children (147 boys and 181 girls) with normal glucose tolerance. Follow-up weight was obtained an average of 9.3 ± 1.9 years (means ± SD) later at age 15–19 years. Fasting plasma insulin concentration correlated with the rate of weight gain per year in both boys (r = 0.42; P < 0.0001) and girls (r = 0.20; P < 0.01) and was associated with the rate of weight gain, independent of known determinants of weight change, i.e., initial relative weight, change in height, age, and sex. Similar relationships were found between fasting plasma insulin concentration and the change in relative weight and in triceps skinfold thickness—two indicators of obesity. In conclusion, fasting hyperinsulinemia may be a risk factor for the development of obesity in young children.
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Original Articles|
August 01 1997
Fasting Hyperinsulinemia Is a Predictor of Increased Body Weight Gain and Obesity in Pima Indian Children
Olalekan E Odeleye;
Olalekan E Odeleye
Clinical Diabetes and Nutrition Section, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Phoenix, Arizona
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Maximilian de Courten;
Maximilian de Courten
Clinical Diabetes and Nutrition Section, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Phoenix, Arizona
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David J Pettitt;
David J Pettitt
Clinical Diabetes and Nutrition Section, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Phoenix, Arizona
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Eric Ravussin
Eric Ravussin
Clinical Diabetes and Nutrition Section, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Phoenix, Arizona
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Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. E. Ravussin, CDNSNIDDK-NIH, 4212 N. 16th St., Phoenix, AZ 85016. [email protected].
Diabetes 1997;46(8):1341–1345
Article history
Received:
October 29 1996
Revision Received:
April 09 1997
Accepted:
April 09 1997
PubMed:
9231660
Citation
Olalekan E Odeleye, Maximilian de Courten, David J Pettitt, Eric Ravussin; Fasting Hyperinsulinemia Is a Predictor of Increased Body Weight Gain and Obesity in Pima Indian Children. Diabetes 1 August 1997; 46 (8): 1341–1345. https://doi.org/10.2337/diab.46.8.1341
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