Obesity and insulin secretion in fasting high school students

Abstract
The relationship between plasma glucose, serum insulin, serum C-peptide and obesity was studied in 320 fasting high school students (13–18 years old), as part of a Busselton population study. For males and females respectively plasma glucose was 4.5±0.4 and 4.4±0.5 mmol/1 (mean±SD), serum insulin 0.51±0.35 and 0.69±0.39 log10 (nmol/lx100), and serum C-peptide 0.48±0.15 and 0.55±0.14 nmol/1. These sex differences were not statistically significant. Plasma glucose correlated with C-peptide (r=0.21, p<0.001) and insulin (r= 0.32, p<0.001), indicating greater secretion where fasting glucose was higher. Obesity, measured as skin fold thickness, was also associated with serum C-peptide (r=0.32, p<0.001) and insulin (r=0.37, p< 0.001).