Understanding Insulin Resistance

Based on findings of a recent study researchers say girls are affected more than boys. Researchers say sex-linked genes may explain this difference between girls and boys being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Researchers are in the process of conducting a study which aims to establish which children are insulin-resistant and why. The study included 307 healthy children 4 or 5 years old who will be followed until they are 16 years old. Researchers are keeping track of each child’s height, weight, physical activity, resting energy expenditure, and insulin resistance.

Researchers have found, at 5 years old, insulin resistance was 35-percent higher in girls than in boys and girls were found to have 26-percent more fat despite similar body weights. However, after adjusting height and weight variables and physical activity, girls remain 33-percent more insulin-resistant than boys. Researchers also found triglycerides were significantly higher in girls and good cholesterol was lower in girls than in boys.

Thus researchers suggest that prepubertal girls are intrinsically more insulin-resistant than boys.