The association between chemerin and homeostasis assessment of insulin resistance at baseline and after weight reduction via lifestyle modifications in young obese adults

Background: Chemerin is a recently discovered adipocytokine, associated with adiposity and insulin sensitivity. The current study investigated the effects of lifestyle intervention on circulating chemerin level and its association with insulin resistance and adiponectin in human. Methods: Forty male and 20 female obese adults (mean age: 29.7±5.7y, mean BMI: 29.3±4.5kg/m²) completed an 8-week lifestyle intervention program, which consisted of a home-based diet and exercise program. Anthropometric measurements and biomarkers were assessed at the baseline and at the end of the study. Results: Eight weeks of lifestyle intervention reduced body weight, visceral fat and subcutaneous fat by 3.8%, 15.3% and 11.5%, respectively. The lifestyle intervention further reduced fasting insulin (10.9 ± 6.6 vs. 7.6 ± 5.3 μU/ml, p< 0.001) and homeostasis assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (2.3 ± 1.5 vs. 1.6 ± 1.2, p< 0.001), chemerin (103.3 ± 20.7 vs. 96.5 ± 19.5. ng/ml, p< 0.001) and hs-CRP levels (1.3 ± 1.8 vs. 0.2 ± 0.2. mg/dl, p< 0.001) while it increased fasting pentraxin (PTX) 3 (0.6 ± 0.7 vs. 0.7 ± 0.4. ng/ml, p= 0.049) level. The δ chemerin levels correlated with δ insulin (r = 0.349, p= 0.024) and HOMA-IR (r = 0.333, p= 0.36) even after adjusting for age and gender. Conclusion: The lifestyle intervention reduced circulating chemerin levels independent of visceral fat mass and adiponectin. Chemerin levels are associated with insulin resistance at the baseline and after the lifestyle intervention.