Global prevalence of insulin resistance in the adult population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Ballena-Caicedo J.; Zuzunaga-Montoya F.E.; Loayza-Castro J.A.; Bustamante-Rodríguez J.C.; Vásquez Romero L.E.M.; Tapia-Limonchi R.; De Carrillo C.I.G.; Vera-Ponce V.J. · Frontiers in Endocrinology (2025) · DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1646258

Resumen

Objective: To determine the global prevalence of IR, evaluating differences according to study designs and population characteristics. Methodology: A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted. The search encompassed MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE, including observational studies that employed the HOMA-IR index to estimate IR and published adult prevalence data. Articles without clear IR definitions or with highly specific populations were excluded. The meta-analysis applied a random-effects model with proportion transformation (Freeman-Tukey), assessing heterogeneity with I² and Cochran’s Q test. Additionally, a meta-regression by publication year was conducted. Results: Eighty-seven studies were included, with 235,148 participants. The pooled prevalence of IR was estimated at 26.53% (95% CI: 24.10–29.03; I²=99%), with no statistically significant differences when comparing probabilistic versus non-probabilistic sampling or when stratifying by sex. The meta-regression revealed no clear variations according to publication year or other explored factors. Conclusions: This systematic review demonstrates that IR reaches a global prevalence of 26.53%, with estimated differences between 26% and 30% across different populations and geographical regions. Despite the diversity in cut-off points employed for HOMA-IR, no statistically significant differences were observed when comparing sampling designs or stratifying by sex. Furthermore, no clear trend related to publication year was evidenced. Copyright

Instituciones: Universidad Continental; Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas