Circulating Levels of Resistin and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Men and Women: Results From Two Prospective Cohorts

• Published in: Diabetes care Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 329 - 334
• Main Authors: Chen, Brian H, Song, Yiqing, Ding, Eric L, Roberts, Christian K, Manson, JoAnn E, Rifai, Nader, Buring, Julie E, Gaziano, J. Michael, Liu, Simin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Diabetes Association 01.02.2009
• Subjects: Body Mass Index; Body Size; C-Reactive Protein - metabolism; Cardiovascular and Metabolic Risk; Cardiovascular disease; Case-Control Studies; Cohort Studies; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Health aspects; Hormone replacement therapy; Hospitals; Humans; Kidney diseases; Life Style; Male; Mens health; Middle Aged; Patients; Plasma; Postmenopause; Prospective Studies; Racial Groups; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Reference Values; Resistin - blood; Risk; Risk Assessment; Risk factors; Sex Characteristics; Skin cancer; Validation studies; Women; Womens health
• ISSN: 0149-5992; 1935-5548
• DOI: 10.2337/dc08-1625

OBJECTIVE:--The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of circulating resistin levels in the development of type 2 diabetes using two prospective cohorts of well-characterized men and women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--We conducted two prospective case-control studies nested in the Women's Health Study (WHS) and Physicians' Health Study II (PHS II). In the WHS, during a median of 10-years of follow-up, 359 postmenopausal women, who were apparently healthy at baseline and later developed type 2 diabetes, were prospectively matched with 359 healthy control subjects. In the PHS II, with 8 years of total follow-up, 170 men, who were apparently healthy at baseline and later developed type 2 diabetes, were matched with 170 healthy control subjects. Control subjects were matched by age, race, and time of blood draw. RESULTS:--Resistin levels at baseline were significantly higher in women than in men (P = 0.003) and in case patients than in control subjects for both women (P < 0.001) and men (P = 0.07). After adjustment for matching factors, physical activity, alcohol intake, smoking, and family history of diabetes, the relative risk of type 2 diabetes comparing the highest to the lowest quartile of resistin in women was 2.22 ([95% CI 1.32-3.73]; Ptrend = 0.002). This association was attenuated after further adjustment for BMI (1.51 [0.86-2.65]; Ptrend = 0.20) or C-reactive protein (1.18 [0.68-2.07]; Ptrend = 0.60). A similar but weaker pattern was observed in men. CONCLUSIONS:--Elevated levels of circulating resistin were significantly related to increased risk of type 2 diabetes, which appears to be partially accounted for by adiposity and the inflammatory process.