Resistin is not a useful insulin resistance marker for non-obese patients.

Abstract

Resistin, an adipokine produced in fat tissue, may be linked to insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes. Previous data are controversial and have focused mainly on obese patients. We aimed to evaluate whether resistin plays a role in the development of IR in normal-weight individuals. The study involved 77 normal-weight participants. We defined IR using different indexes and cut-off points. Resistin, fasting insulin, glucose, and lipids concentrations and anthropometric parameters were measured. Serum resistin concentration was not associated with IR. Resistin concentration was weakly related to age in all insulin-sensitive groups and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration in all IR groups. Moreover, a weak negative correlation between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and resistin concentrations was observed in the IR group categorised by the 1.69 cut-off of the homeostasis model assessment of IR. The data suggest that resistin is not a useful marker for the prediction of IR in normal-weight individuals.