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Comparison of several anthropometric indices with insulin resistance proxy measures among European adolescents: The Helena Study

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Abstract

The aim of the current study was to compare the association of several anthropometric indices, with insulin resistance (IR) proxy measures in European adolescents. The present study comprises 1,097 adolescents aged 12.5–17.5 from ten European cities participating in the HELENA study. Weight, height, waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference, skinfolds thickness, fat mass (FM), fasting plasma glucose (G F) and serum insulin (I F) levels were measured. HOMA (as indicator of IR body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio (WHR) and waist to height ratio (WHtR) were calculated. I F and HOMA were statistically significantly related to BMI, WC, skinfold sum, WHtR, WHR and FM. BMI, WC, WHtR, skinfold sum and FM displayed similar correlation with I F and HOMA as opposed to WHR where lower correlation with IR indices was detected in the overall sample. Similar results were found for boys, girls and underweight/normal weight adolescents. On the other hand, WC and WHtR were found to be more strongly associated with IR proxy measures compared to the rest of anthropometric indices among overweight/obese subjects. Based on the current findings, WC and WHtR could be used, alternatively, to identify the overweight/obese adolescent at risk for developing IR. In addition, all aforementioned anthropometric indices, except WHR, could be used among the underweight/normal weight adolescents.

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Abbreviations

WC:

Waist circumference

IR:

Insulin resistance

WHR:

Waist-to-hip ratio

WHtR:

Waist-to-height ratio

FM:

Fatt mass

BMI:

Body mass index

MVPA:

Moderate to vigorous physical activity

PA:

Physical activity

CVD:

Cardiovascular disease

I F :

Fasting serum insulin

G F :

Fasting serum glucose

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Funding

The HELENA Study was carried out with the financial support of the European Community Sixth RTD Framework Programme (Contract FOOD-CT-2005-007034). The content of this article reflects only the authors’ views, and the European Community is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

Conflicts of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, 70 El. Venizelou St., 17671, Athens, Greece

    Katerina Kondaki, Evangelia Grammatikaki & Yannis Manios

  2. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    David Jiménez Pavón

  3. Department of Public Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Katerina Kondaki, Evangelia Grammatikaki & Stefaan De Henauw

  4. Department of Health and Human Performance, Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Marcela González-Gross

  5. Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Michael Sjöstrom

  6. Faculté de médecine, University of Lille 2, Lille, France

    Frédéric Gottrand

  7. Department of Pediatrics, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary

    Dénes Molnar

  8. Escuela Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    Luis A. Moreno

  9. Preventive Medicine and Nutrition Unit, University of Crete School of Medicine, Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Anthony Kafatos

  10. Department of Consumer and Sensory Sciences, Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, UK

    Chantal Gilbert

  11. Research Institute of Child Nutrition, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Dortmund, Germany

    Mathilde Kersting

Authors
  1. Katerina Kondaki
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  2. Evangelia Grammatikaki
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  3. David Jiménez Pavón
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  4. Yannis Manios
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  5. Marcela González-Gross
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  6. Michael Sjöstrom
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  7. Frédéric Gottrand
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  8. Dénes Molnar
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  9. Luis A. Moreno
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  10. Anthony Kafatos
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  11. Chantal Gilbert
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  12. Mathilde Kersting
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  13. Stefaan De Henauw
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefaan De Henauw.

Appendix

Appendix

HELENA Study Group

Co-ordinator: Luis A Moreno.

Core Group members: Luis A Moreno, Fréderic Gottrand, Stefaan De Henauw, Marcela González-Gross and Chantal Gilbert.

Steering Committee: Anthony Kafatos (President), Luis A Moreno, Christian Libersa, Stefaan De Henauw, Jackie Sánchez, Fréderic Gottrand, Mathilde Kersting, Michael Sjöström, Dénes Molnér, Marcela González-Gross, Jean Dallongeville, Chantal Gilbert, Gunnar Hall, Lea Maes and Luca Scalfi.

Project Manager: Pilar Meléndez.

1. Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain): Luis A Moreno, Jesús Fleta, José A Casajús, Gerardo

Rodríguez, Concepción Tomás, María I Mesana, Germán Vicente-Rodríguez, Adoración Villarroya, Carlos M Gil, Ignacio Ara, Juan Revenga, Carmen Lachen, Juan Fernández Alvira, Gloria Bueno, Aurora Lázaro, Olga Bueno, Juan F León, Jesús Mª Garagorri, Manuel Bueno, Juan Pablo Rey López, Iris Iglesia, Paula Velasco and Silvia Bel.

2. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain): Ascensión Marcos, Julia Wärnberg, Esther Nova, Sonia Gómez, Esperanza Ligia Díaz, Javier Romeo, Ana Veses, Mari Angeles Puertollano, Belén Zapatera and Tamara Pozo.

3. Université de Lille 2 (France): Laurent Beghin, Christian Libersa, Frédéric Gottrand, Catalina Iliescu and Juliana Von Berlepsch.

4. Research Institute of Child Nutrition Dortmund, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (Germany): Mathilde Kersting, Wolfgang Sichert-Hellert and Ellen Koeppen.

5. Pécsi Tudományegyetem (University of Pécs) (Hungary): Dénes Molnar, Eva Erhardt, Katalin Csernus, Katalin Török, Szilvia Bokor, Mrs Angster, Enikö Nagy, Orsolya Kovács and Judit Répasi.

6. University of Crete, School of Medicine (Greece): Anthony Kafatos, Caroline Codrington, María Plada, Angeliki Papadaki, Katerina Sarri, Anna Viskadourou, Christos Hatzis, Michael Kiriakakis, George Tsibinos, Constantine Vardavas Manolis Sbokos, Eva Protoyeraki and Maria Fasoulaki.

7. Institut für Ernährungs und Lebensmittelwissenschaften—Ernährungphysiologie. Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität (Germany): Peter Stehle, Klaus Pietrzik, Marcela González-Gross, Christina Breidenassel, Andre Spinneker, Jasmin Al-Tahan, Miriam Segoviano, Anke Berchtold, Christine Bierschbach, Erika Blatzheim, Adelheid Schuch and Petra Pickert.

8. University of Granada (Spain): Manuel J Castillo Garzón, Ángel Gutiérrez Sáinz, Francisco B Ortega Porcel, Jonatan Ruiz Ruiz, Enrique García Artero, Vanesa España Romero, David Jiménez Pavón, Cristóbal Sánchez Muñoz, Víctor Soto, Palma Chillón, José M Heredia, Virginia Aparicio, Pedro Baena, Claudia M Cardia and Ana Carbonell.

9. Istituto Nazionalen di Ricerca per gli Alimenti e la Nutrizione (Italy): Davide Arcella, Giovina Catasta, Laura Censi, Donatella Ciarapica, Marika Ferrari, Cinzia Le Donne, Catherine Leclerq, Luciana Magrì, Giuseppe Maiani, Rafaela Piccinelli, Angela Polito, Raffaela Spada and Elisabetta Toti.

10. University of Napoli ‘Federico II’ Department of Food Science (Italy): Luca Scalfi, Paola Vitaglione and Concetta Montagnese.

11. Ghent University (Belgium): Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij, Stefaan De Henauw, Tineke De Vriendt, Lea Maes, Christophe Matthys, Carine Vereecken, Mieke de Maeyer and Charlene Ottevaere.

12. Medical University of Vienna (Austria): Kurt Widhalm, Katharina Phillipp, Sabine Dietrich, Birgit Kubelka and Marion Boriss-Riedl.

13. Harokopio University (Greece): Yannis Manios, Eva Grammatikaki, Zoi Bouloubasi, Tina Louisa Cook, Sofia Eleutheriou, Orsalia Consta, George Moschonis, Ioanna Katsaroli, George Kraniou, Stalo Papoutsou, Despoina Keke, Ioanna Petraki, Elena Bellou, Sofia Tanagra, Kostalenia Kallianoti, Dionysia Argyropoulou, Katerina Kondaki, Stamatoula Tsikrika and Christos Karaiskos.

14. Institut Pasteur de Lille (France): Jean Dallongeville and Aline Meirhaeghe.

15. Karolinska Institutet (Sweden): Michael Sjöström, Patrick Bergman, María Hagströmer, Lena Hallström, Marten Hallberg, Eric Poortvliet, Julia Wärnberg, Nico Rizzo, Linda Beckman, Anita Hurtig Wennlöf, Emma Patterson, Lydia Kwak, Lars Cernerud, Per Tillgren and Stefaan Sörensen.

16. Asociación de Investigación de la Industria Agroalimentaria (Spain): Jackie Sánchez-Molero, Elena Picó, Maite Navarro, Blanca Viadel, José Enrique Carreres, Gema Merino, Rosa Sanjuán, María Lorente, María José Sánchez and Sara Castelló.

17. Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association (UK): Chantal Gilbert, Sarah Thomas, Peter Burguess.

18. SIKFInstitutet foer Livsmedel och Bioteknik (Sweden): Gunnar Hall, Annika Astrom, Anna Sverkén and Agneta Broberg.

19. Meurice Recherche and Development asbl (Belgium): Annick Masson, Claire Lehoux, Pascal Brabant, Philippe Pate and Laurence Fontaine.

20. Campden and Chorleywood Food Development Institute (Hungary): Andras Sebok, Tunde Kuti and Adrienn Hegyi.

21. Productos Aditivos SA (Spain): Cristina Maldonado and Ana Llorente.

22. Cárnicas Serrano SL (Spain): Emilio García.

23. Cederroth International AB (Sweden): Holger von Fircks, Marianne Lilja Hallberg and Maria Messerer.

24. Lantmännen Food R&D (Sweden): Mats Larsson, Helena Fredriksson, Viola Adamsson and Ingmar Börjesson.

25. European Food Information Council (Belgium): Laura Fernández, Laura Smillie and Josephine Wills.

26. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain): Marcela González-Gross, Agustín Meléndez, Pedro J Benito, Javier Calderón, David Jiménez-Pavón, Jara Valtueña, Paloma Navarro, Alejandro Urzanqui, Ulrike Albers, Raquel Pedrero and Juan José Gómez Lorente.

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Kondaki, K., Grammatikaki, E., Pavón, D.J. et al. Comparison of several anthropometric indices with insulin resistance proxy measures among European adolescents: The Helena Study. Eur J Pediatr 170, 731–739 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-010-1322-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-010-1322-4

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