Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a condition defined by a cluster of symptoms, including excessive adipose tissue, impaired glucose homeostasis, dyslipidemia, and high blood pressure (BP). We aimed to evaluate the correlation between the MetS criteria (IDF) and fasting glucose-insulin-C-peptide-derived indices in a cohort of 128 healthy young adults who were 20-35 years old at the time of this study. We measured fasting serum glucose, insulin, C-peptide (CP), HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and hsCRP; HOMA-IR INS, HOMA-IR CP1, HOMA-IR CP2, HOMA-BETA, HOMA-BETA CP, QUICKI, disposition index (DI), CP index (CPI), and 20/C-peptide*glucose. Significant correlations were found between BMI and all HOMA indices, QUICKI, and CPI; waist circumferences and HOMA-IR INS, HOMA-BETA, and QUICKI (for both sexes); glucose and HOMA-IR INS/CP1/CP2, HOMA-BETA CP, DI, and QUICKI; HDL-cholesterol and HOMA-IR INS, HOMA-BETA, and QUICKI for males and females only with QUICKI; triglycerides and HOMA-IR INS, HOMA-BETA, and QUICKI; systolic BP and HOMA-IR INS, HOMA-BETA; diastolic BP and DI. The cut-off values for HOMA-IR INS, HOMA-BETA, and QUICKI in the combined group (females + males) were 1.855, 82.250, 0.355; 2.115, 106.370, 0.345 for males; 1.805, 71.305, 0.355 for females. A stronger correlation was found between males' indices and hsCRP. In conclusion, CP-derived indices do not add significant information, and the male sex is more predisposed to MetS.
Keywords: 20/C-peptide*glucose; C-peptide index; HOMA-BETA; HOMA-IR; QUICKI; disposition index; inflammation; insulin resistance; metabolic syndrome; young healthy adults.