Visfatin levels are low in subjects with type 2 diabetes compared to age-matched controls

Background: Visceral adiposity correlates strongly with insulin resistance and components of metabolic syndrome. Visfatin is preferentially produced by human visceral adipose tissue. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between circulating levels of visfatin and other adipocytokines in patients with type 2 diabetes (DM) compared to the age-matched control subjects without DM. Methods: Anthropometric parameters, lipid profiles, high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP), insulin resistance [HOMA-IR], and levels of visfatin, TNF-α, and resistin were evaluated in 55 subjects with diabetes and 56 age matched control subjects without diabetes. Results: The visfatin levels were significantly lower in subjects with diabetes (p < 0.0001). Visfatin levels correlated strongly with resistin and CRP. We noted negative correlation of visfatin levels with BMI, triglycerides and glucose. Conclusion: These data suggest that visfatin may be a marker of subclinical inflammatory state.