The metabolic syndrome is common in an urban Korean population when using Asian-Pacific waist criteria. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome increased with increasing tertiles of insulin resistance.

OBJECTIVE -To investigate whether the peripheral blood mtDNA (pb-mtDNA) content is decreased and linked to insulin resistance in the offspring of type 2 diabetic patients.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -A total of 82 offspring of type 2 diabetic patients and 52 age-, sex-, and BMI-matched normal subjects from the Mokdong, Korea, population were selected for this study by stratified, randomized sampling. Of the offspring of diabetic patients, 52 had normal glucose tolerance (NGT), 21 had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and 9 had newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. The pb-mtDNA content was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction with a mitochondria-specific fluorescent probe, normalized by a nuclear DNA, 28S rRNA gene. The associations between pb-mtDNA content and several parameters of insulin resistance were studied.RESULTS -The pb-mtDNA contents tended to be lower in the 82 offspring of type 2 diabetic patients (1,084.7 Ϯ 62.6 vs. 1,304.0 Ϯ 99.2 in the offspring and control subjects, respectively, P ϭ 0.051) and was significantly lower in the combined NGT and IGT offspring group (NGTϩIGT, 1,068.0 Ϯ 67.8, P Ͻ 0.05) than in the control subjects. In NGTϩIGT offspring, the pb-mtDNA content was significantly correlated with logarithmically transformed insulin sensitivity (r ϭ 0.253, P Ͻ 0.05) and was the main predictor of insulin sensitivity.CONCLUSIONS -Quantitative mtDNA status might be a hereditary factor associated with type 2 diabetes and could serve as an indicator for insulin sensitivity. Diabetes Care 24:865-869, 2001T he mitochondria are the major site of intracellular respiration and energy metabolism, and their function is intimately related to insulin secretion and possibly insulin action (1,2). Moreover, the mitochondria contain their own genome, with mtDNA coding for some proteins of the respiratory chain. The mutation of mtDNA was believed to cause ϳ0.5-1% of diabetes (3,4). The content of mtDNA is vital for maintaining the mitochondrial function and the energy demands of the body, but little attention has been paid to the quantitative aspects of mtDNA in diabetes. Several animal and human studies have described variations in mtDNA content. Decreased mtDNA content was found in the pancreatic islets of diabetes-prone Goto-Kakizaki rats (5) and in mitochondrial transcriptional factor A (Tfam)-defective mice (4). Decreased mtDNA content was also found in the skeletal muscle of type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients (6). Although the changes resulting from diabetes might influence the mtDNA content, decreases in peripheral blood mtDNA (pb-mtDNA) were observed before the onset of diabetes (7). Peripheral blood could provide an alternative sample type to skeletal muscle in the diagnosis of mitochondrial pathology because the data on the mitochondrial state in skeletal muscles and peripheral blood lymphocytes were comparable (8). Decreased pb-mtDNA was found to be related to insulin resistance or the development of type 2 diabetes (7).Although maximum oxygen consumption (VO 2max ) was positively related to m...

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Objective: Visceral fat accumulation is more strongly related to insulin resistance than to excess total adiposity. The visceral adiposity index (VAI) has recently been suggested as an indicator of the visceral adiposity measured by magnetic resonance imaging. To evaluate whether the VAI could replace visceral computed tomography (CT) scanning and predict insulin resistance in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) was presented. Design and Methods: One hundred and eighty Korean women aged 16-41 years who were diagnosed with PCOS using the Rotterdam criteria were included. The VAI was derived from a formula using body mass index, waist circumference, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Visceral adiposity was defined as a visceral fat area (VFA) measuring > 100 cm 2 by CT scanning. Insulin sensitivity was evaluated by insulinmediated glucose utilization (M value), which was obtained using a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp. Results:The VAI positively correlated with VFA, the visceral-to-subcutaneous fat ratio, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and negatively correlated with the M value. In a linear regression analysis, the VAI was an independent determinant of the insulin sensitivity after controlling for age, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and testosterone levels. In a logistic regression analysis, the VAI odds ratio was 3.5 (95% CI 1.2-9.8) for predicting visceral adiposity after controlling for the various metabolic parameters and testosterone. Conclusion: The VAI can replace visceral CT scanning as a marker for visceral adiposity, and it predicts insulin resistance in young women with PCOS.

Background/AimsThe existence of an association between thyrotropin (thyroid stimulating hormone, TSH) levels and metabolic derangement in euthyroid subjects is controversial. We examined the association between high normal TSH levels and metabolic syndrome in healthy young women.MethodsThe study recruited 2,760 young female volunteers (age, 18 to 39 years) with TSH levels in the normal range (0.3 to 4.5 mU/L). We defined metabolic syndrome using the 2007 International Diabetes Federation criteria. Using a TSH level of 2.5 mU/L as an upper reference limit, as recommended by the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry, we divided the subjects into high-(n = 453) and low-TSH groups (n = 2,307).ResultsThe prevalence of metabolic syndrome was significantly higher in the high-TSH group than in the low-TSH group (7.5% vs. 4.8%, p = 0.016). Central obesity (22.3% vs. 17.3%, p = 0.012) and hypertriglyceridemia (8.0% vs. 4.2%, p = 0.0007) were significantly more frequent in the high-TSH group than in the low-TSH group. Waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and triglycerides were significantly associated with the TSH level after adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI). Subjects in the high-TSH group had a 2-fold greater risk of metabolic syndrome than subjects in the low-TSH group after adjusting for age and BMI (odds ratio, 1.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 3.2).ConclusionsHealthy young women with TSH levels > 2.5 mU/L should be assessed for the presence of metabolic syndrome, even if their TSH levels are in the normal range.

This work was supported in part by the grant from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009-E00591-00). The work was also supported by the Ewha Global Top5 Grant 2013 of Ewha Womans University. None of the authors has any conflict of interest to declare.

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Higher urinary BPA levels are associated with obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic disruption in Korean reproductive-aged women. BPA could play an important role in the pathogenesis of metabolic abnormalities. Further studies are required to elucidate the relationship between EDCs and metabolic disturbances in various age and sex groups.