Endocrine Abstracts

JOINT1290

Background: Obesity is a global health challenge affecting a significant number of adolescents worldwide. Abdominal obesity, in particular, is closely linked to insulin resistance and is a well-established risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Although differences in body fat distribution between boys and girls become pronounced during puberty, it remains unclear whether glucose-insulin metabolism and height-normalised abdominal fat indices differ between male and female adolescents with obesity.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 90 obese adolescents (56 female). An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed, and the following indices were calculated: the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), insulin sensitivity index (ISI), insulinogenic index (IGI), and oral disposition index (oDI). Abdominal adipose tissue was estimated using single-slice magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the third lumbar vertebral level. Height-normalised visceral (VATa) and subcutaneous (SATa) tissue areas were used to derive the visceral adipose tissue index (VATI) and subcutaneous adipose tissue index (SATI). Sex differences in glucose-insulin metabolism, VATI, and SATI were assessed using the Mann-Whitney test.

Results: The participants had a median age of 14.8 years (range: 10.8–18) and a median body mass index (BMI) of 34.7 kg/m² (range: 25.2-54.4). Boys had significantly higher BMI z-scores (p < 0.001), VATa (P =0.030), and SATa (P =0.023) compared to girls. However, height-normalised VATI and SATI did not significantly differ between sexes (P =0.371 and P =0.212, respectively). Similarly, no significant differences were observed in HOMA-IR (P =0.339), ISI (P =0.523), IGI (P =0.382), or oDI (P =0.247) between boys and girls. Prediabetes was identified in 19 adolescents (13 female, 6 male), and type 2 diabetes was detected in one female adolescent.

Conclusions: Adolescents with obesity face a high risk of impaired glucose metabolism. However, no significant sex-based differences in glucose-insulin metabolism indices were found among obese adolescents with comparable VATI and SATI, despite differences in overall adiposity.