ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown an association between thyroid function and insulin resistance and obesity. We compared insulin resistance and body mass index (BMI) in patients with normal TSH levels (2.5-4.2 µIU/mL), patients diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism, and healthy control subjects. METHODS: The study included 104 subjects and was conducted at the Taksim Education and Research Hospital. The subjects were divided into three groups according to TSH levels: Group 1 (high-normal), TSH levels were 2.5-4.2 µIU/mL (n=33); Group 2 (subclinical hypothyroidism), TSH levels were 4.2-10 µIU/mL (n=42); and Group 3 (healthy control), TSH levels were 0.27-2.5 µIU/mL (n=29). The fT3 and fT4 levels were within normal limits in all groups. Insulin resistance and BMI were compared among groups. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was used to estimate insulin resistance. RESULTS: HOMA-IR and BMI were not significantly different among groups (p>0.05). A significant positive correlation was found between BMI and HOMA-IR in the high-normal TSH (p>0.059) and subclinical hypothyroidism (p>0.05) groups. CONCLUSIONS: HOMA-IR and BMI are important for the assessment of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. We found no significant difference in HOMA-IR and BMI values among the three TSH reference range groups.
ABSTRACT
To investigate the effect of veiled clothing style on bone mineral density (BMD). The BMD measurements were performed on the femoral neck and the lumbar spines of adult female population with two different types of clothing taking calcium daily in the normal range according to the proper technique utilizing dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). In the lumbar spine measurements, the BMD was measured 1.0020 +/- 0.177 gr/cm2 in cases with veiled clothing style while it was measured 1.0793 +/- 0.169 gr/cm2 in cases with unveiled clothing style (P = 0.049, t = 1.98). In the femoral neck measurements, the BMD was measured 0.8428 +/- 0.146 gr/cm2 in cases with veiled clothing style while it was measured 0.8532 +/- 0.177 in cases with unveiled clothing style (P = 0.548, t = 0.457). Although a decrease in BMD values was observed in both regions with veiled clothing style, only the change in the lumbar spine BMD measurements was statistically significant. These findings suggest that the veiled clothing style may have an adverse effect on BMD by interfering with the sun exposure which is believed to have a key role in bone strength.
