Investigation of the Relationship Between Chronic Stress and Insulin Resistance in a Chinese Population

Background: Chronic stress may facilitate the development of metabolic diseases. Insulin resistance is present long before the clinical manifestations of individual metabolic abnormalities. To explore whether chronic stress is an independent risk factor of insulin resistance, we investigated the rel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of epidemiology 2016, Vol.26 (7), p.355-360
Main Authors: Yan, Yu-Xiang, Xiao, Huan-Bo, Wang, Si-Si, Zhao, Jing, He, Yan, Wang, Wei, Dong, Jing
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cardiovascular Disease
Homeostasis
Hormones
Insulin resistance
Metabolic disorders
Original
Stress
stress
insulin resistance
cortisol
HOMA-IR
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Summary:Background: Chronic stress may facilitate the development of metabolic diseases. Insulin resistance is present long before the clinical manifestations of individual metabolic abnormalities. To explore whether chronic stress is an independent risk factor of insulin resistance, we investigated the relationship between the stress system, selected parameters of energy homeostasis, and insulin resistance in a Chinese population. Methods: We recruited 766 workers employed at four companies in Beijing. The degree of insulin resistance was determined using the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). The highest quartile of HOMA-IR among all study subjects was further defined as insulin resistance in our study. The short standard version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) was used to assess job-related psychosocial stress. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated between cortisol level and HOMA-IR and components of metabolic syndrome, with stratification by gender. The relationship between cortisol and HOMA-IR independent of obesity was analyzed using a linear mixed model with company as a cluster unit. Results: The values of the two scales of COPSOQ, including "demands at work" and "insecurity at work", were significantly associated with insulin resistance and cortisol concentration (P < 0.05). Cortisol was significantly positively correlated with glucose, HOMA-IR, and waist circumference in males and females (P < 0.05). After adjusting for potential confounders, cortisol was an independent positive predictor for HOMA-IR (P < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings showed that chronic stress was associated with insulin resistance and may contribute to the development of insulin resistance.
ISSN:0917-5040
1349-9092
DOI:10.2188/jea.JE20150183