Insulin resistance in the early teenage years may portend cardiovascular disease and diabetes in adulthood, according to University researchers.
A study by Alan Sinaiko, M.D., professor of pediatrics in the Medical School, and colleagues tracked insulin resistance in 224 Minneapolis public school students at ages 13, 15, and 19. Results indicate that the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors and type 2 diabetes are related to the body’s decreased response to insulin, independent of obesity.
“This is the first study to show that insulin resistance by itself
is a significant predictor of cardiovascular disease beginning in
childhood,” says Sinaiko. “Insulin resistance at age 13 predicted high
systolic blood pressure, which is associated with risk of stroke and
high triglycerides, at age 19.”
