Comparison of the ability of HOMA-IR, VAI, and TyG indexes to predict metabolic syndrome in children with obesity: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background The increasing trend in childhood obesity needs to be closely monitored and intervened due to long-term health issues such as metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. We aimed to determine and compare the cut-off values for the visceral adiposity index (VAI), triglyceride-glucose index (TyG), and HOMA-IR for predicting metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2019 in Samsun, Turkey. The study included 169 children with obesity aged 9 and 10 years. After anthropometric and clinical evaluation, fasting blood samples were collected from the children. The areas under the curve of the visceral adiposity index, triglyceride-glucose index, and HOMA-IR were compared by receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) analysis in predicting the MetS. Results The total prevalence of MetS was 21.3% in children with obesity, and it was two times higher in girls than in boys. The mean values of TyG and VAI were significantly different in those who have and have not MetS in both genders. However, the HOMA-IR index was higher only in girls with MetS and did not differ in boys by having MetS. The VAI and the TyG index both had statistically significant cut-off values in both sexes and a larger ROC area than the HOMA-IR index in predicting MetS. Conclusions The VAI and TyG index are effective indicators in assessing the MetS risk in children with obesity. Both indexes can be considered useful tools in pediatric research and the evaluation of interventions. However, the HOMA-IR index formula needs to be developed taking into account age, gender, and ethnicity.

Biochemical and Anthropometric Indices of Insulin Resistance in Obese and Overweight Children with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease

“…Although HOMA-IR is a recognized indicator of insulin resistance (IR) in adults, in our study HOMA-IR did not differentiate well between children with and without MAFLD. Similar conclusions about the limited diagnostic value of this indicator, especially in the pediatric population, which lacks standardized reference values, have been raised by researchers before [6,24]. However, due to limited availability and the difficulty of performing HEC, HOMA-IR is widely used for the diagnosis of IR, but it is also used as a reference in some studies to assess the utility of other indices, which may cause inaccurate results [19,25,26].…”

The association between triglyceride-glucose index and its combination with obesity indicators and stroke: CHARLS 2011-2020

“…Obesity, a global health concern, is intrinsically linked to a variety of health hazards, such as glucose intolerance [15], insulin resistance [16], and metabolic abnormalities [17], all of which can precipitate the onset, progression, and prognosis of cerebrovascular disease [18][19][20]. The TyG index, in conjunction with obesity indices, has been identified to be closely related to insulin resistance [21,22], metabolic syndrome [23], uric acid [24], diabetes mellitus [25], and fatty liver [26]. Some studies have even suggested that the combination of the TyG index with adiposity indices may outperform the TyG index alone in assessing stroke risk [27].…”