According to a new research, type 2 diabetes risk can be lowered using higher levels of the adiponectin protein made by fat cells.
Researchers reported that the finding helped to know why obesity alone does not completely explain diabetes risk. The results are justified with previous research that showed obese mice with high adiponectin levels were more sensitive to insulin than other obese mice and had lower odds of developing type 2 diabetes.
Medication and lifestyle interventions can increase adiponectin levels. According to researchers, if people with low adiponectin levels are targeted, it may help stop the current epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the US and other countries.
The study was based on 13 international studies containing information on diabetes status and adiponectin levels of nearly 15,000 people.
The researchers reported that higher adiponectin levels in the blood were consistently linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, regardless of body mass index (BMI), race, or sex.
Currently adiponectin is among the strongest and most consistent biochemical predictors of type 2 diabetes, write researcher Shanshan Li, MD, of the Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues. Adiponectin is a promising target for the reduction of risk of type 2 diabetes.