Higher insulin resistance was associated with early vascular aging in adults with type 1 diabetes. Published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, the study assessed whether insulin resistance and measures of abdominal adiposity could discriminate early vascular aging.

The analysis included 179 adults with type 1 diabetes and no cardiovascular events. Arterial stiffness was measured using aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), and insulin resistance was estimated using a validated equation incorporating hypertension, HbA1c, and waist-to-hip ratio. Waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio were also evaluated.

Estimated insulin sensitivity showed an independent inverse association with aPWV (β = –0.218; P < 0.001), driven primarily by waist-to-hip ratio. Discrimination of early vascular aging was similar for estimated insulin sensitivity and waist-to-hip ratio (C-statistic 0.77 for both), while waist circumference (C-statistic 0.87) and waist-to-height ratio (C-statistic 0.91) demonstrated stronger performance.

These findings show that abdominal adiposity is a strong determinant of early vascular aging in adults with type 1 diabetes and that simple anthropometric measurements can identify individuals at higher risk.