Various studies have correlated Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) with type 2 diabetes and even further it had been suggested that RBP4 was a link between all three of adiposity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.
If this was the case then there was some hope that measuring RBP4 would be a predictor of type 2 diabetes, that is a leading indicator, and also that by adjusting its level it may reduce the potential for development of type 2.
However researchers from Germany just found evidence that kidney function but not Type 2 diabetes determines RBP4 blood serum levels.
What they found in their tests between type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic subjects was that degeneration of the kidney was most strongly associated with RBP4 levels and not diabetes. (They measured the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) which shows how well a kidney is functioning and compared that to RBP4 across all subjects.)
Diabetes often leads to impairment of the kidneys, but the researchers are suggesting that RBP4 levels increase after impairment and not as a result of having diabetes. That is, it is a lagging indicator and not a leading indicator as previously thought.
If this research is substantiated further then RPB4 may not be a fruitful research topic for the potential amelioration or delay of onset of type 2 diabetes.
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