The interplay of insulin resistance and systemic inflammation on cancer history: a nationally representative cross-sectional study from NHANES
- 1Sanya University, 191 Xueyuan Road, Jiyang District, Sanya, Hainan Province P.R. China
Abstract
Aim: To investigate whether systemic inflammation, measured by the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), modifies the cross‑sectional association between insulin resistance (IR, assessed by HOMA-IR) and overall cancer history in a nationally representative population.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis utilizing data from the 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which employs a complex, multistage probability sampling design. All analyses accounted for the complex survey design and sampling weights to ensure national representativeness. Weighted multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the cross‑sectional association, with an interaction term between HOMA-IR and NLR.
Results: Among 3,746 adults, after adjusting for age, sex, and BMI, HOMA-IR was not independently associated with cancer history (OR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.98–1.02). The HOMA-IR × NLR interaction term was not statistically significant (P for interaction = 0.359), indicating no significant effect modification by NLR.
Conclusion: In this nationally representative sample, we found no evidence that systemic inflammation, as measured by NLR, amplifies the cross‑sectional association between IR and overall cancer history. The potential synergistic effect may be confined to specific high-risk subgroups or inflammatory pathways.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s40842-026-00335-y.
Related
- Coexisting low bone mass and low muscle phenotype in relation to falls and depressive symptoms among Korean adults: a nationally representative cross-sectional study
- Antidepressant medication use and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behaviors in adults: A cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative sample of Canadian adults
- Source-water salinity measured by electrical conductivity in Bangladesh, 2025: a nationally representative cross-sectional survey
- Dietary Inflammation and Chronic Dizziness With Imbalance in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Nationally Representative Study.
- Anti-HBc seropositivity among women of childbearing age in Indonesia: a nationally representative cross-sectional study
BibTeX
@article{wang2026interplay,
title = {{The interplay of insulin resistance and systemic inflammation on cancer history: a nationally representative cross-sectional study from NHANES}},
author = {Xiaorui Wang},
journal = {Cardiovascular diabetology. Endocrinology reports},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1186/s40842-026-00335-y},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s40842-026-00335-y},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The interplay of insulin resistance and systemic inflammation on cancer history: a nationally representative cross-sectional study from NHANES
AU - Xiaorui Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - Cardiovascular diabetology. Endocrinology reports
DO - 10.1186/s40842-026-00335-y
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s40842-026-00335-y
AB - Aim: To investigate whether systemic inflammation, measured by the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), modifies the cross‑sectional association between insulin resistance (IR, assessed by HOMA-IR) and overall cancer history in a nationally representative population. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis utilizing data from the 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which employs a complex, multistage probability sampling design. All analyses accounted for the complex survey design and sampling weights to ensure national representativeness. Weighted multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the cross‑sectional association, with an interaction term between HOMA-IR and NLR. Results: Among 3,746 adults, after adjusting for age, sex, and BMI, HOMA-IR was not independently associated with cancer history (OR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.98–1.02). The HOMA-IR × NLR interaction term was not statistically significant (P for interaction = 0.359), indicating no significant effect modification by NLR. Conclusion: In this nationally representative sample, we found no evidence that systemic inflammation, as measured by NLR, amplifies the cross‑sectional association between IR and overall cancer history. The potential synergistic effect may be confined to specific high-risk subgroups or inflammatory pathways. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s40842-026-00335-y.
SN - 3059-4057
ER -