HOMA-IR

Background: The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) face a significant diabetes burden. Preventing, or at least delaying onset of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) requires accurate and timely identification of at-risk individuals with prediabetes. Traditional screening focuses on glucose and HbA1c alone and does not include other readily available data that can better identify risk and guide intervention. Methods: We developed a comprehensive web-based cardiometabolic risk calculator combining the classic homeostasis model assessment (HOMA1), triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, metabolic syndrome evaluation (ATP III and IDF criteria), diabetes risk prediction adapted from validated models including QDiabetes-2018 and UK Biobank cohort studies, and cardiovascular risk trajectory with Lipoprotein(a) integration. The calculator uses ethnicity-specific thresholds for Middle Eastern, South Asian, and other populations, and provides AI-generated clinical summaries with multi-language patient education materials. Case: An 18-year-old Emirati male with obesity, prediabetes, severe insulin resistance, and compensatory beta-cell hypersecretion had a calculated 10-year diabetes risk exceeding 55%. This quantitative risk estimate motivated intensive lifestyle modification combined with tirzepatide and metformin. After six months, he achieved 17% weight loss, normalization of insulin resistance and beta-cell function, prediabetes resolution and diabetes risk reduction to under 10%. Conclusion: Comprehensive metabolic phenotyping with quantitative risk communication can identify high-risk individuals, characterize their metabolic dysfunction, and motivate behavioral change. This freely available tool addresses the need to identify individuals at high 10-year risk of progression to T2DM and elevated lifetime cardiovascular risk, thereby allowing more timely intervention.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder frequently associated with insulin resistance, obesity, and increased cardiometabolic risk. Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) has demonstrated insulin-sensitizing, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties that may improve metabolic outcomes in women with PCOS. Objective: To evaluate the effects of Ceylon cinnamon supplementation on anthropometric parameters and insulin resistance in Tunisian women with PCOS. Methods: A prospective interventional pilot study was conducted in the Endocrinology Department of the National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INNTA). Women diagnosed with PCOS according to the Rotterdam 2003 criteria received Ceylon cinnamon capsules (500 mg three times daily; total 1500 mg/day) for eight weeks without changes in diet or physical activity. Anthropometric measurements, body composition, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and the Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) were assessed at baseline and after intervention. Results: Fifteen women were enrolled, and thirteen completed the study. The mean age was 25.38 ± 5.12 years. After eight weeks of supplementation, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio decreased significantly (both p = 0.02). Although reductions were observed in fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR (from 4.96 ± 3.22 to 2.75 ± 1.88), these changes did not reach statistical significance. No significant changes were found in body weight or body mass index. Conclusion: Short-term Ceylon cinnamon supplementation was associated with significant improvements in abdominal anthropometric measures in women with PCOS and showed a favorable trend toward improved insulin resistance. These findings suggest that Ceylon cinnamon may serve as a promising adjunctive nutritional therapy for metabolic dysfunction in PCOS. Larger randomized controlled trials with longer follow-up are warranted to confirm these preliminary results.