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To investigate the association between plasma leptin and adiponectin and insulin sensitivity in children, 580 school children (294 boys and 286 girls) with mean age of 13.3 years (12-16 years) were randomly selected from the Taipei Children Heart Study. Baseline measurements included body weight, body mass index (BMI), plasma glucose, insulin, proinsulin, leptin and adiponectin levels. Insulin resistance and beta-cell function were assessed using the method of homeostatic model, HOMA-IR and HOMA-beta, respectively. We found that girls had higher levels of plasma leptin, adiponectin and HOMA-beta than boys. There was no significant difference in HOMA-IR between boys and girls. Plasma leptin concentrations were positively correlated with body weight, BMI, insulin and proinsulin concentrations, HOMA-IR and HOMA-beta, whereas plasma adiponectin levels were inversely associated with body weight, BMI and proinsulin levels in both sexes. In girls, adiponectin concentrations were negatively correlated with insulin concentration and HOMA-IR. In multiple regression analyses, plasma leptin was more positively associated with insulin and proinsulin levels, HOMA-IR and HOMA-beta than was adiponectin in boys. This association persisted even after adjusting for body weight, BMI and pubertal status. In conclusion, plasma leptin was more strongly associated with insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function than was adiponectin among children, particularly in boys.

Summary We sought to clarify whether impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or both (IFG/IGT) represent the most severe impairment in insulin resistance (IR) and insulin secretion. Among the 159 Chinese subjects, 21 were diagnosed as having IFG, 103 as having IGT and 35 as having both. IR and beta-cell function were assessed using homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) and an insulin-suppression test (IST). No differences were evident between the groups in blood pressure, body mass index, plasma insulin fasting levels and lipid profiles. However, plasma 2-h insulin levels were higher in the IGT and IFG/IGT groups. Beta-cell functions were not different between these groups. But, the result of glucose tolerance was different, in which the IFG/IGT and IFG groups displayed higher insulin sensitivity than IGT via HOMA instead of no difference via IST in the three patient groups.