Abstract

Background: Visfatin has insulin like metabolic effects and has a key role in insulin secretion in response to glucose stimulus. This existed link of visfatin with obesity and glucose metabolism is still to be explored and debatable. We aimed to find out the correlation between visfatin and selected anthropometric and biochemical parameters in non-diabetic subjects with type II diabetic parents and with non-diabetic parents. Methods: This cross-sectional analytic study was conducted at the Diabetes Clinic of Lahore General Hospital and Department of Physiology, Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore. It comprised of 40 on-diabetic subjects with non-diabetic parents (Group I) aged 30–50 years, and 40 age and sex matched non-diabetic subjects with type II diabetic parents (Group II). Blood pressure, BMI and waist hip ratio, fasting levels of serum visfatin, insulin and glucose were measured and indices of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), sensitivity (HOMA-%S) and beta cell function (HOMA-%?) were calculated. Results: Serum visfatin did not correlate with any of the anthropometric and glycaemic parameters assessed in group I and II. However, in combined analysis of female non-diabetic subjects, a statistically significant negative correlation between serum visfatin and waist circumference/waist hip ratio, and a positive correlation of serum visfatin with insulin sensitivity index (HOMA-%S) was found. Conclusion: A decline in visfatin production is seen with increasing visceral obesity in non-diabetic female subjects. The fall in visfatin levels seems to play a part in lowering insulin sensitivity in them.
Pak J Physiol 2021;17(2):10–4