Serum resistin levels are associated with adiposity and insulin sensitivity in obese Hispanic subjects

Abstract

Background and aims: Resistin is involved in the development of obesity and insulin resistance (IR) in mice and may play a similar role in humans through mechanisms that remain unresolved. The objective of this study was to characterize the relationship between resistin levels in obese subjects with and without IR among Hispanic subjects.

Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on 117 nondiabetic Hispanic subjects of both genders that were allocated into three study groups: A control group (n=47) of otherwise healthy individuals in metabolic balance, a group with obesity (OB) (n=36), and a group with obesity and IR (OB-IR) (n=34). Anthropometric and clinical characterization was carried out, and resistin levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: We found that resistin levels were higher in OB and OB-IR groups when compared to the control group (1331.79±142.15 pg/mL, 1266.28±165.97 pg/mL vs. 959.21±171.43 pg/mL; P<0.05), an effect that was not confounded by age (control, 34.04±10.00 years; OB, 37.30±10.78 years; and OB-IR, 35.67±10.15 years). In addition, we observed a significant correlation (P<0.001) between resistin levels and higher adiposity and insulin sensitivity (IS) in our cohort.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that higher resistin levels are associated with higher adiposity and lower IS among obese Hispanic subjects.

FIG. 1.

Serum resistin levels by study groups and gender. OB, obese group; OB-IR, obese and insulin-resistant group.

FIG. 2.

Correlation analyses of the overall study group. There are significant correlations between serum resistin levels with percentage body fat (%BF) (A) and quantitative insulin-sensitivity check index (QUICKI) (B). (▲) Control group; (●) obese (OB) group; (♦) obese insulin-resistant (OB-IR) group.