title: Insulin, lipid profiles and measures of fatness in Taiwanese women in relation to duration of residence in Australia.
abstract: This study investigated the relationships between measures of fatness and blood insulin and lipids in Taiwanese females living in Taiwan (n=97) or Australia (n=100), and examined the effect of length of residence in Australia on these relationships. Fasting glucose and lipids were determined by Reflotron and fasting insulin using Microparticle Enzyme Immunoassay; insulin resistance (IR) was identified by HOMA. There were no significant inter-country differences in crude plasma insulin or HOMA-IR between Taiwan and Australia (51.7+/-42.2 vs. 45.0+/-29.0 pmol/L and 1.43+/-1.21 vs. 1.29+/-1.00, respectively, all p> 0.05), but when insulin and HOMA-IR were adjusted for waist circumference, they were greater in Taiwan (45.7+/-1.6 vs. 38.0+/-1.6 pmol/L and 1.26+/-1.59 vs. 1.13+/-1.59, respectively, all p< 0.05). Subjects living in Australia greater than 5 years had higher insulin and HOMA-IR values than those with less than 5 years residence (50.0+/-32.3 vs. 32.4+/-10.5 pmol/L and 1.45+/-1.00 vs. 0.90+/-0.28, respectively, all p< 0.01), even after adjustment for all measures of fatness. Subjects in Australia > 5 years have 6 (CI, 1.3-27.9) times the risk of having insulin > 50 pmol/L; the increased risk being confined to generally and/or centrally obese women. Measures of central obesity and general obesity were positively associated with HOMA-IR in both countries (r = 0.23, p< 0.05 and 0.27 p< 0.01, Taiwan, 0.43 and 0.43, both p< 0.01, Australia). Taiwanese females living in Australia initially appear to have a more favorable state of IR than those in Taiwan, but insulin resistance is associated with length of residence in Australia, particularly among the obese.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Wan-Ping
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lingard
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bermingham
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000273:Adipose Tissue; D050154:Adiposity; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005215:Fasting / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013624:Taiwan / Q000208:ethnology; D013997:Time Factors; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids