Association of proinsulin and hepatic steatosis in a random, population-based sample

Objective Proinsulin may represent a predictive marker for assessing insulin resistance and reduced β-cell function. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between hepatic steatosis, proinsulin and other parameters in a random, population-based sample. Design Cross-sectional study, conducted in south-western Germany. Methods Upper abdominal ultrasound examinations were performed in 343 subjects (147 females, 196 males; average age 40.0±11.5 years). Proinsulin, the proinsulin-to-insulin ratio and other laboratory parameters were determined, and the BMI, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and other anthropometric data were documented. Results Hepatic steatosis was observed in 80 subjects (23.3%: 29.6%, males; 15.0%, females). Multivariate analysis showed an association with hepatic steatosis for male gender ( P =0.0212), advancing age ( P =0.0241), elevated BMI ( P <0.0001), elevated WHR ( P =0.0024), alanine aminotransferase ( P =0.0046), proinsulin ( P =0.0403) and proinsulin-to-insulin ratio ( P =0.0116). Conclusions There is an association between elevated proinsulin concentrations and hepatic steatosis.