Effect of a hypocaloric diet on serum visfatin in obese non-diabetic patients

Objective Obesity and insulin resistance are associated with classic and new cardiovascular risk factors, such as inflammatory markers and adipocytokines. The aim of this study was to examine whether weight reduction could change visfatin serum concentrations in obese patients. Methods This was an interventional longitudinal study analyzing a population of 80 obese non-diabetic outpatients. Weight, blood pressure, fasting serum glucose, C-reactive protein, plasma insulin, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triacylglycerols, and insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment) were measured before and after 3 mo on a hypocaloric diet. Results Eighty patients were enrolled. The mean age was 46.7 ± 16.7 y, the mean body mass index was 34.1 ± 4.8 kg/m2, with 20 men (25%) and 60 women (75%). After 3 mo on a hypocaloric diet, body mass index, fat mass, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, fasting serum glucose, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased. The serum concentration of visfatin decreased with weight loss (112.14 ± 70.2 versus 99.4 ± 58.1 ng/mL, P < 0.05). In the multivariate analysis of visfatin concentration before and after treatment, as a dependent variable, only age remained an independent predictor in the model (F = 12.5, P < 0.02), with an inverse correlation: visfatin decreased 4.1 g/mL (F = 12.5, P < 0.05) and 3.7 g/mL (95% confidence interval 1.2–6.1), respectively, for each year of age. Conclusion Weight reduction after a 3-mo period of a hypocaloric diet is associated with a significant decrease in circulating serum concentrations of the novel adipokine visfatin in obese subjects. Visfatin is inversely correlated with age.