Basal Insulin and Lipids in Normoglycemic Adults: An Analytical Study, 2022

Introduction: Lipogenesis worsens the clinical evolution of insulin-resistant patients. Variations in lipemia could predict insulin resistance in normoglycemic individuals. Objectives: To analyze the relationship between basal insulin and serum lipids in normoglycemic individuals. Methodology: Analytical and cross-sectional study of secondary data of 3902 Mexican adults from the National Health and Nutrition Survey-2022. The variables were: basal insulin, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and the triglycerides/glucose ratio (TG/glucose). For data analysis, the Spearman correlation and multiple linear regression were used. Results: In men, the basal insulin was moderately correlated with TC (Rho=0.482; p<0.001), TG (Rho=0.401; p<0.001), TG/glucose index (Rho=0.418; p<0.001), HDL (-0.443;0<0.001), and had low correlation with LDL (Rho=0.302; p<0.001). In women, the correlation was low with CT (Rho=0.175; p<0.001), TG (Rho=0.156; p<0.001), LDL (Rho=0.160; p<0.001), and was moderate with HDL (Rho=-0.402; p<0.001), and TG/glucose index (Rho=0.410; p<0.001). Basal insulin in men increases 0.282 points per each mg/dL of additional TC; 0.012 per mg/dL of triglycerides; 0.146 points for LDL, and decreases 0.427 per mg/dL of HDL; in women, it increases 0.264 points per mg/dL of additional TC, 0.590 for each mg/dL of triglycerides, 0.246 for LDL, and decreases 0.572 points per mg/dL of additional HDL. Conclusions: In normoglycemic individuals, basal insulin levels are higher when lipid levels are increased, predicting the increase in that hormone.