Insulin resistance may be linked to bone health in young people. This study is the first on adolescents that jointly examined the association of bone health with insulin resistance and body composition. Our results revealed significant negative association between bone parameters and insulin resistance, even after adjustment for confounding factors.
Purpose: Previous studies are suggestive of the protective role of insulin on bone in adults. Whether this association exists in younger individuals is not clear, yet. This investigation aimed to evaluate the association between insulin resistance, bone parameters, and body composition amongst Iranian adolescents᾽ population.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 423 participants (224 girls and 199 boys) aged 9-19 years old. Insulin resistance was assessed, using a homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI). Bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), total body fat mass (TBFM), and total body lean mass (TBLM) were measured, using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) was calculated.
Results: In multiple regression analyses adjusted for potential confounders, the HOMA-IR showed statistically significant negative association with most of the bone parameters (β = - 1.1 to - 0.002, P = 0.004 to 0.036). On the subject of QUICKI index, this relationship was detected only for lumbar spine (LS) parameters (β = 0.062 to 37.21, P = 0.0001 to 0.026) and femoral neck bone mineral content (FNBMC) (β = 1.297, P = 0.013).
Conclusion: Our results suggest that insulin resistance may be inversely and independently associated with the bone indices in younger individuals. Whether high insulin levels have detrimental effects on growing bone is still unclear and has to be answered.
Keywords: Adolescent; Bone mineral content; Bone mineral density; Insulin resistance; Total body fat mass; Total body lean mass.