Serum resistin level among healthy subjects: relationship to anthropometric and metabolic parameters

Resistin is a novel adipocyte-secreted hormone that has been proposed to be the link between obesity and diabetes, although little appears to be known regarding the physiological role of resistin in human beings. We aimed to explore the relationship between serum resistin level and certain anthropometric and metabolic parameters. Seventy-one healthy subjects with a mean body mass index of 23 kg/m2 or greater were recruited in this study. Anthropometric measurements including height, weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumferences, waist-to-hip ratio, and blood pressure were recorded. Insulin resistance was measured by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). Fasting serum resistin, insulin and plasma glucose, lipid profiles, and uric acid levels were measured. The results revealed that serum resistin level did not correlate with any markers for adiposity, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, or uric acid level for either sex. Serum resistin level correlated negatively with fasting insulin level (γ = −0.455, P = .006) and HOMA (γ = −0.455, P = .006) in women but not in men. Serum resistin level only correlated negatively with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level in men (γ = −0.347, P = .038); there was no correlation between serum resistin level and lipid profiles in women. Multiple linear regression analysis using the logarithm of resistin as a dependent variable revealed that only HDL-C level (β = −.058, P = .019) was an independent significant predictor for resistin in men; however, the analysis revealed that HDL-C level (β = −.044, P = .029) and HOMA (β = −.719, P = .004) were independent significant predictors for resistin in women. In conclusion, resistin is not related to adiposity, blood pressure, insulin resistance, fasting plasma glucose level, and most lipid profiles. Resistin correlates negatively with HDL-C level for both sexes. The role of resistin in metabolic syndrome warrants further investigation.