Background: Glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, hypertension, visceral obesity, and ‎dyslipidemia are the major components of metabolic syndrome (MS).‎
Aim: To evaluate the association between serum SHBG and IGF-1 levels and the risk of ‎MS. Furthermore, to determine the correlations between SHBG and IGF-1 and the main ‎components of MS.‎
Subjects and Methods: A total of 402 subjects with and without MS were enrolled in ‎this study (MS=156, Non-MS=246) aged > 18 years. The age, height, weight, BMI, HC, ‎WC, and incidence of diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia of all cases were recorded. ‎The collected serum samples were used to assess lipid profile, glucose and insulin levels. ‎The levels of LDL-cholesterol were calculated using Friedewald's formula. Insulin ‎resistance was measured (as HOMA score). The levels of serum SHBG and IGF-1 were ‎measured using Elisa technique.‎
Results: A positive relationship between SHBG and MS was detected , ‎however no such correlation was observed concerning IGF-1. There were ‎positive correlations between SHBG and main components of MS; with insulin, HOMA-‎index, TC, TG and HDL . Conversely, IGF-1showed negative correlations. Finally, SHGB was ‎more sensitive (63.5%), accurate (61.9%) than IGF-1 (51.9%), accuracy ‎‎(59%) .‎
Conclusion: Our study reveals that lower SHBG is more strongly associated with ‎metabolic syndrome and its main components than lower IGF-1. SHBG could be the ‎essential driver of these relations, conceivably reflecting its association with insulin ‎sensitivity, however, more studies are required to confirm this relationship.‎