Gender differences regarding novel biomarkers and metabolic risk factors in metformin treated type 2 diabetic patients

We aimed to analyze associations between adiponectin, ghrelin and leptin with anthropometric and metabolic markers in men and women with Metformin-treated type 2 diabetes (n=53), recruited from a trial of relaxation therapies. Anthropometrical measures and fasting blood samples were assessed on three occasions: at baseline, and after 10 and 24 weeks: BMI, waist, HbA1c, insulin, glucose, adiponectin, leptin, fasting ghrelin, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor α(TNF- α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). HOMA2ir and HOMA2s were calculated from fasting glucose and insulin, and adiponectin/leptin and adiponectin/HOMA2ir ratios were calculated. In men, higher leptin and lower adiponectin/leptin ratio correlated with insulin and insulin resistance, and in women lower ghrelin with insulin and insulin resistance. In multivariate linear regression, higher levels of leptin were associated with insulin resistance among men, but not among women. Among women, insulin resistance was associated with lower adiponectin/leptin ratio and ghrelin. Factor analysis showed that leptin in women was closely related to anthropometric variables, but in men both related to anthropometric and inflammatory variables. Gender differences could indicate different pathophysiologic mechanisms of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes among men and women, where leptin possibly could be a better marker among men, and ghrelin among women.