Predictive Value of Body Mass Index for Insulin Resistance in a Pondicherry-Based Hypertensive Sub-Cohort: A Pilot Study

Abstract: - Background: In the South Asian "Thin-Fat" phenotype, traditional obesity markers may underrepresent metabolic risk. Objective: To evaluate the predictive strength of BMI for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in a pilot sub-cohort of hypertensive patients. Methods: A focused analysis was conducted on 30 hypertensive patients (n=30) selected from a larger Pondicherry-based dataset. HOMA-IR was calculated, and linear regression was used to determine the predictive value of BMI. Results: The mean BMI was 28.4 ± 4.2 kg/m2 and mean HOMA-IR was 2.8 ± 1.1. BMI demonstrated a strong positive correlation with HOMA-IR (r = 0.62, p < 0.01). Regression analysis indicated that BMI accounted for 38.4% of the variance in insulin resistance (R2 = 0.384). Conclusion: Even in a small pilot cohort, BMI remains a robust predictor of insulin resistance in South Indian hypertensive patients, supporting its use as a primary screening tool in resource-limited clinical settings.