Resistance to insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and dyslipidemia in Asian Indians.

Persons from the Indian subcontinent have elevated coronary heart disease risk. We measured insulin resistance with the insulin suppression test in 22 Asian Indian men and women and an equal number of control subjects of European ancestry matched for age and body mass index. Asian men and women had increased glucose and insulin responses to oral glucose tolerance tests (P < .05 by ANOVA) and had approximately 60% higher steady-state plasma glucose levels during the insulin suppression test (P < .001 by ANOVA), consistent with insulin resistance. In response to mixed meals, Asian women had higher plasma free fatty acids and glycerol concentrations than women of European ancestry (P < .02 by ANOVA), whereas Asian Indian men had similar free fatty acid and glycerol levels compared with men of European ancestry despite higher plasma insulin levels. Thus, results in both sexes were consistent with resistance to insulin suppression of free fatty acid levels in Asian Indians. Asian Indians of both sexes had higher fasting plasma triglyceride (P < .01) and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < .01) concentrations than men and women of European ancestry. Resistance to insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and to insulin suppression of free fatty acid levels in Asian Indians is associated with a number of metabolic abnormalities that are demonstrated risk factors for coronary heart disease, including increased glucose, insulin, and triglyceride concentrations and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations.