Circulating Resistin Levels Are Not Associated with Obesity or Insulin Resistance in Humans and Are Not Regulated by Fasting or Leptin Administration: Cross-Sectional and Interventional Studies in Normal, Insulin-Resistant, and Diabetic Subjects

• DOI: 10.1210/jc.2003-030519
• Publication Date: 2003-10-13T17:42:51Z
• Authors: Jennifer H. Lee; Jean L. Chan; Nikos Yiannakouris; Meropi Kontogianni; Elizabeth Estrada; Richard Seip; Christine Orlova; Christos S. Mantz...
• Keywords: Adult; Leptin; Male; 2. Zero hunger; 0301 basic medicine; Adolescent; Fasting; Middle Aged; Body Mass Index; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Hormones, Ectopic; Homeostasis; Humans; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Female; Resistin; Obesity; Insulin Resistance; Energy Intake

Resistin is a novel adipocyte-secreted hormone proposed to link obesity with diabetes. Studies in mice have revealed conflicting data however, and the physiological role of circulating resistin in humans remains unknown. We conducted cross-sectional studies in 123 middle-aged women and 120 healthy young subjects and found that serum resistin levels did not correlate with markers of adiposity, including body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, or fat mass, or insulin resistance assessed by homeostasis model, lipid profile, or serum leptin levels; but females had higher resistin levels than males (P < 0.02). We also found no difference in serum resistin levels between lean healthy and obese insulin-resistant nondiabetic and type 2 diabetic adolescents. Finally, to evaluate the effect of food deprivation and/or leptin administration on resistin levels, we performed interventional studies that revealed no significant difference in resistin levels after 48 h of fasting and/or leptin administration at either physiological or pharmacological doses. We conclude that circulating resistin is unlikely to play a major role in insulin resistance or energy homeostasis in humans.