Abstract

OBJECTIVE—Individuals with type 2 diabetes are particularly vulnerable to cardiovascular disease. Insulin resistance is a major determinant of this increased risk and is a potential therapeutic target. This study was undertaken to establish the natural biological variation of insulin resistance in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—The biological variation of insulin resistance was assessed by measuring insulin resistance at 4-day intervals on 10 consecutive occasions in 12 postmenopausal women with diet-controlled type 2 diabetes and in 11 weight- and age-matched postmenopausal women without type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance was derived using the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) method.

RESULTS—The distribution of HOMA-IR was log Gaussian in the type 2 diabetic study group and Gaussian in the control group. The HOMA-IR in the type 2 diabetic group was significantly greater than that of the control group (mean ± SD: 4.33 ± 2.3 vs. 2.11 ± 0.79 units, P = 0.001). After accounting for analytical variation, the mean intraindividual variation was also substantially greater in the type 2 diabetic group than in the control group (mean 1.05 vs. 0.15, P = 0.001). Consequently, at any level of HOMA-IR, a subsequent sample must increase by >90% or decrease by >47% to be considered significantly different from the first.

CONCLUSIONS—HOMA-IR is significantly greater and more variable for individuals with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, this inherent variability needs to be accounted for in studies evaluating therapeutic reduction of HOMA-IR in this group.