Dietary and lifestyle indices for hyperinsulinemia with the risk of obesity phenotypes: a prospective cohort study among Iranian adult population

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have cited insulin-related disorders, including hyperinsulinemia, as one of the main causes of obesity risk and metabolic disorders. We aimed to investigate the association of the Empirical Dietary Index for Hyperinsulinemia (EDIH) and Empirical Lifestyle Index for Hyperinsulinemia (ELIH) with the risk of obesity phenotypes among Iranian adults. METHODS: Present study was conducted on 2705 subjects, including 1604 metabolically healthy normal weights (MHNW) and 1101 metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) individuals. Obesity phenotypes, including MHNW, MHO, metabolically unhealthy normal weights (MUNW), and metabolic unhealthy obesity (MUO), were determined using the criteria of the Joint International statement (JIS) for metabolic syndrome. Dietary intake data from the previous year was gathered using a food frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate the hazard ratio and 95% confidence intervals (HRs and 95% CIs) of obesity phenotypes incident across tertiles of EDIH and ELIH scores. RESULTS: The mean ± SD of age and BMI of all participants were 33.5 ± 12.2 years and 24.3 ± 3.8 kg/m(2), respectively. In the multivariable-adjusted model, a higher ELIH score was associated with a greater risk for incidence of MUO (HR: 3.47, 95%CI: 2.54–4.74; P(trend) = < 0.001) and MHO (HR: 3.61, 95%CI: 2.73–4.77; P(trend) = < 0.001). Also, a higher score of EDIH was related to an increased risk of MUO incidence (HR: 1.35, 95%CI: 1.02–1.79; P for trend = 0.046). However, there was no significant association between a higher score of EDIH and the risk of MHO. CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed that a high insulinemic potential of diet and lifestyle, determined by EDIH and ELIH indices, may be related to an increase in the simultaneous occurrence of obesity with metabolic disorders in Iranian adults. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-13401-8.