The High‐Dietary Insulin Load Score Is Associated With Elevated Level of Fasting Blood Sugar in Iranian Adult Men: Results From Fasa PERSIAN Cohort Study

Abstract

Aim: The potential of different foods to induce postprandial hyperinsulinemia may be involved in the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). We aimed to evaluate the association between dietary insulin indices and MetS in a large population of adults in Iran.Methods: A total of 6356 adults aged 35–70 years were included in the present cross‐sectional study. A validated block‐format 125‐item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to obtain usual food intakes, and MetS was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and American Heart Association (AHA)/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) criteria.Results: MetS was prevalent in 13.8% of participants. Mean age of the study participants was 46.58 ± 8.82 years, and mean body mass index (BMI) was 25.02 ± 4.60 kg/m2. Mean dietary insulin index (DII) and dietary insulin load (DIL) were 63.15 ± 7.57 and 168.253 ± 52.09, respectively. In the crude model, men in the highest DIL quartile were more likely to have hyperglycemia than those in the lowest quartile (OR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.12–2.73, p trend = 0.04). This association remained significant and was even stronger after adjusting for potential confounders in model I (OR: 3.64, 95% CI: 1.57–8.47, p trend = 0.005) and further adjustment for BMI in model II (OR: 3.61, 95% CI: 1.55–8.44, p trend = 0.006).Conclusions: In healthy men, adherence to a high‐DIL diet may be associated with a greater likelihood of having hyperglycemia. No statistically significant association was observed between insulin indices and the odds of having MetS.