The ratio of adiponectin to HOMA as an index of metabolic syndrome in obese women.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to investigate the role of the ratio of adiponectin concentration to homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) as a predictor of metabolic syndrome (MS) in obese subjects.
METHODS: We studied a population-based cross-sectional sample of 217 obese women. To estimate the prevalence of MS, the definitions of the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) were considered.
RESULTS: The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the detection of each MS component on the basis of the ratio of the serum adiponectin concentration to HOMA-IR (A/H ratio) was higher than that for the detection based on serum adiponectin concentration (for central obesity: 0.722 vs. 0.316, for increased triglycerides: 0.579 vs. 0.500, for increased blood pressure: 0.573 vs. 0.493, and for elevated fasting plasma glucose: 0.718 vs. 0.465). The AUC of the ROC curve for the detection of MS on the basis of the A/H ratio was higher than that for the detection based on serum adiponectin concentration (0.700 vs. 0.481).
CONCLUSION: The A/H ratio appears to provide a discriminatory marker for MS risk and some components of MS (central obesity, increased blood pressure and elevated fasting plasma glucose) in obese women.