title: The triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio as a predictor of β-cell function in African American women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The TG/HDL-C ratio is used as a marker of insulin resistance (IR) in Caucasians. However, there are conflicting data on TG/HDL-C ratio as a predictor of IR in African Americans. Compared to Caucasians, African Americans have lower TG levels and increased insulin levels despite a greater risk for diabetes. We hypothesized that the TG/HDL-C ratio is predictive of IR and/or β-cell function in African American (AA) women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Non-diabetic AA women (n = 41) with a BMI > 25 kg/m(2) underwent frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGTT). Insulin sensitivity (SI) and the acute insulin response to glucose (AIRg) were measured using minimal model and β-cell function was determined by disposition index (DI = S I*AIRg). IR was defined as the lowest tertile of SI (<1.8 × 10(-4)min(-1)/μU/ml) and inadequate β cell compensation was defined as the lowest tertile of DI (< 900). Data were analyzed using logistic regression models and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). An AUC-ROC > 0.70 was defined as significant discrimination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (± SD) age was 38.5 ± 11.3 years, with BMI of 33.5 ± 6.7 kg/m(2) and fasting glucose of 86.5 ± 10.5 mg/dL. The AUC-ROC for the prediction of DI < 900 was 0.74 indicating that a higher TG/HDL-C ratio was associated with decreased DI. However, the AUC-ROC for prediction of IR or low AIRg (<335 μU/ml) was not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirmed that the TG/HDL-C ratio is a poor predictor of IR in AA women. However, we did show an inverse association between the TG/HDL-C ratio and β-cell function, suggesting that this simple tool may effectively identify AA women at risk for DM2.
authors: Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA and VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Denver, CO, USA. Electronic address: amita.maturu@gmail.com.
authors: Amita
authors: A
authors: Maturu
authors: Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: DeWitt
authors: Division of Endocrinology and Molecular Medicine and the Barnstable Brown Diabetes and Obesity Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
authors: Philip A
authors: PA
authors: Kern
authors: Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA and VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Denver, CO, USA.
authors: Neda
authors: N
authors: Rasouli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D019540:Area Under Curve; D015992:Body Mass Index; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D014280:Triglycerides
keywords: African Americans; Insulin resistance; TG/HDL-C ratio; beta-Cell function