Insulin, lipid profiles and measures of fatness in Taiwanese women in relation to duration of residence in Australia.

AUSTRALIA; TAIWAN

This study investigated the relationships between measures of fatness and blood insulin and lipids in Taiwanese females living in Taiwan (n=97) or Australia (n=100), and examined the effect of length of residence in Australia on these relationships. Fasting glucose and lipids were determined by Reflotron and fasting insulin using Microparticle Enzyme Immunoassay; insulin resistance (IR) was identified by HOMA. There were no significant inter-country differences in crude plasma insulin or HOMA-IR between Taiwan and Australia (51.7±42.2 vs. 45.0±29.0 pmol/L and 1.43±1.21 vs. 1.29±1.00, respectively, all p> 0.05), but when insulin and HOMA-IR were adjusted for waist circumference, they were greater in Taiwan (45.7±1.6 vs. 38.0±1.6 pmol/L and 1.26±1.59 vs. 1.13±1.59, respectively, all p< 0.05). Subjects living in Australia greater than 5 years had higher insulin and HOMA-IR values than those with less than 5 years residence (50.0±32.3 vs. 32.4±10.5 pmol/L and 1.45±1.00 vs. 0.90±0.28, respectively, all p< 0.01), even after adjustment for all measures of fatness. Subjects in Australia > 5 years have 6 (CI, 1.3-27.9) times the risk of having insulin > 50 pmol/L; the increased risk being confined to generally and/or centrally obese women. Measures of central obesity and general obesity were positively associated with HOMA-IR in both countries (r = 0.23, p< 0.05 and 0.27 p< 0.01, Taiwan, 0.43 and 0.43, both p< 0.01, Australia). Taiwanese females living in Australia initially appear to have a more favorable state of IR than those in Taiwan, but insulin resistance is associated with length of residence in Australia, particularly among the obese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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