Research

Hormonal

In obese individuals, a combined metabolic index of insulin (INS) and free fatty acids (FFAs) effectively predicts the presence of subclinical left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), serving as a practical prescreen for early cardiac remodeling risk.

If you are obese, standard blood work might miss early heart strain. Ask your doctor about checking insulin and free fatty acids alongside standard lipids. This combination can flag heart thickening (LVH) before your heart's pumping ability drops, allowing for earlier lifestyle or medical intervention.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
a combined INS + FFAs model was a strong predictor of LVH [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.757; sensitivity = 88.7%; specificity = 37.8%; P < 0.001].
Mengjie Hu et al. · Metabolism and Target Organ Damage · 2026

Why this rating

Observational cross-sectional study with a relatively small sample size (n=107) and potential selection bias (bariatric surgery candidates).

Source

Metabolic biomarkers predict subclinical cardiac remodeling in obese individuals

Mengjie Hu et al. · Metabolism and Target Organ Damage · 2026

DOI 10.20517/mtod.2025.183

cross_sectional · n=107
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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