Hyperinsulinism assessment in a sample of prepubescent children.

OBJECTIVES To determine the relationship between body mass index (BMI), homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and insulinemia. METHODS This was a prospective cross-sectional observational study of 132 prepubescent schoolchildren residents in the municipality of Santo André, Brazil. Children underwent anthropometric assessment, their glycemia and insulinemia were measured and their HOMA-IR index calculated. RESULTS Seventy-eight of the 132 children (59.1%) were girls and 54 were boys (40.9%), with a mean age of 8.7 years and mean BMI of 13.7 kg/m(2). A significant positive association was detected between HOMA-IR and BMI, insulin and BMI, weight and HOMA and between insulin and weight. It was also found that the higher the BMI, the greater the HOMA score. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study allow for the conclusion that there is a strong association between hyperinsulinism and obesity. Measures should be taken to avoid weight gain during childhood and adolescence.