Association between dietary insulin index and load with cardiometabolic risk factors and risk of metabolic syndrome among the patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the association between dietary insulin index (DII) and load (DIL) with cardiometabolic risk factors and the risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS) among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 500 T2DM patients. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire, and DII and DIL were calculated based on insulin response and energy content. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the odds ratios (ORs) for MetS. RESULTS: Participants in the highest quartile of DIL had significantly higher odds of MetS (OR: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.02–4.25, P = 0.039) and hyperglycemia (OR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.08–4.96, P = 0.032). We also discovered that patients in the highest quartile of DII had higher odds of MetS (OR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.08–4.96, P = 0.034) and hyperglycemia (OR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.04–4.12, P = 0.019). Furthermore, participants in the highest quartile of DIL (OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.00-2.59, P = 0.03) and DII (OR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.05–1.95, P = 0.026) had higher odds of high waist circumference. When it came to hypertriglyceridemia, we found a significant association between DII and DIL only in the crude model, not the fully adjusted model. However, we didn’t observe any significant association between DII and DIL with hypercholesteremia, Low HDL, and high blood pressure (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study provides evidence suggesting that a higher DII and DIL may be associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic risk factors and MetS in patients with T2DM.