Comparison of measures of insulin sensitivity in early-lactation dairy goats

Summary: This experiment aimed to examine the association between surrogate indices of insulin resistance (IR)—namely, the homeostasis model of IR (HOMA-IR), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI), and revised quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (RQUICKI)—and measures of IR obtained from an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) performed in early-lactation dairy goats. Despite a moderately strong correlation between surrogate indices of IR and insulin area under the curve, we found no significant relationship between surrogate indices and measures of reduced insulin sensitivity, such as glucose clearance rate, glucose area under the curve, and insulin sensitivity index. Thus, our results suggest that surrogate indices of IR are not suitable for assessing the insulin sensitivity of peripheral tissue in early-lactation goats.