RBP4 level was a better predictor than were levels of adipokines, cytokines, or markers of inflammation.
Investigators have long sought the causes of insulin resistance, as well as markers of insulin resistance that could be easily measured in routine practice. In a new study, investigators have identified a molecule that could be both.
A multinational team studied 107 subjects with varied body-mass index, insulin resistance, risk factors for type 2 diabetes, presence of type 2 diabetes, and other factors. In all these subjects, higher serum retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) levels were associated strongly with elements of the metabolic syndrome. When exercise training was used to lower insulin resistance, it also lowered RBP4 levels. RBP4 levels correlated strongly with the degree of insulin resistance, regardless of body weight or other risk f…