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Introduction: Insulin resistance (IR) is more and more frequently observed in obese children. The study was aimed at etermining the incidence of IR in obese children and the effect of a low-calorie diet on insulin secretion. Material and methods: The evaluation comprised 42 obese children, aged 12.7 to 15.4 years. For each child the value of BMI SDS was calculated and the OGTT was applied. The insulin resistance index (IRI) was calculated according to Belfiore. The patients were divided into groups according to IRI values, with or without IR. A low-calorie diet was recommended to each child. In 15 children with IR, who referred to the out-patient clinic again after 8-10 weeks of being on the low-calorie diet, OGTT was performed and IRI and SDS BMI were calculated. The control group consisted of 14 children (13.2-15.7 years) with normal body weight. Results: 1. A positive correlation was observed between BMI SDS and IRI. 2. In the studied group of the obese children, IR was diagnosed in 27 children (64.3%). 3. In the group of obese children with IR, who were called for the control examinations, a significant reduction of IRI was found. 4. In general, following the diet period, normal IRI was obtained in 8 out of 15 children (53.3%) and in 5 (33.3%) – decrease of IRI. Conclusions: 1. Insulin resistance occurs in more than 60% of obese children. 2. In obese children with IR, the application of low-calorie diet for 8-10 weeks brings a significant decrease of IRI. (Clin. Exp. Med. Lett. 2005; 46(4):15-20)

Keywords: obesity in children, Insulin Resistance, low-calorie diet, OGTT, risk factor