A Carrier Protein Associates With Human Insulin Resistance

A study reports that low blood protein levels are found to be associated with reduced insulin resistance and thus risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease decreased.

A study reports that low blood protein levels are found to be associated with reduced insulin resistance and thus risk of diabetes , metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease decreased.

A protein in blood called retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), when reduced by the effect of modified diet and good exercise programs proved to drop the risk factors of diabetes – finding reports.

Dr. Barbara Kahn, chief of the division of diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston finds that a substance closely bonded to insulin resistance and risk factors of heart disease.

Kahn’s group of researchers found ‘RBP4, a protein that transports vitamin A in the blood may be a cause for insulin resistance’ from animal studies.

Since animal studies proved the links of RBP4 and insulin resistance, researchers are keen to know about the same in humans. So 60 subjects of 3 groups from California, Sweden and Germany have given blood samples for the study.

The first group included lean people, obese people without diabetes and obese people with type 2 diabetes. The second group was made up of people who had normal glucose metabolism, impaired glucose metabolism or type 2 diabetes. The final group included non-obese people with a strong family history of type 2 diabetes.

First group lean people got an average of 24 micrograms per milliliter (mcg/ml), while the obese non-diabetics scored 39 mcg/ml and obese diabetics averaged 41 mcg/ml.

In the second group, people with normal glucose tolerance scored low RBP4 levels.

The third group of people, who weren't obese, had an average level of 31 mcg/ml, thus proving family history plays a major role in predisposing people to diabetes risk.

High levels of RBP4 were also found to be associated with a higher body mass index, elevated hip-to-waist ratio, higher triglyceride levels, decreased HDL cholesterol and increased blood pressure which results better factors of cardiovascular risk.

From the above study, RBP4 can be used as a screening test for diagnosing the risks of diabetes.

Dr. Stuart Weiss, an endocrinologist at New York University Medical Center says even a 15-minute walk can reduce insulin resistance and increase insulin sensitivity.