Betatrophin Is Associated with Type 2 Diabetes and Markers of Insulin Resistance

Betatrophin, also known as ANGPTL8, is secreted by the liver, and its expression is upregulated by nutrition. However, conflicting reports exist on the association of betatrophin with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD). We therefore measured betatrophin in 553 patients undergoing coronary angiography for the evaluation of established or suspected CAD. T2DM patients (n=161) had higher betatrophin than those without T2DM (12.9±19.0 vs. 9.3±9.0 ng/ml; p=0.005). Betatrophin however did not differ significantly between patients with significant CAD (n=347) and those who did not have significant CAD (10.5±13.5 ng/ml vs. 10.2±11.8 ng/ml; p=0.654). Betatrophin was positively correlated with waist circumference (r=0.150, p=0.001), BMI (r=0.142, p=0.001), fasting glucose (r=0.133, p=0.002), HbA1c (r=0.125, p=0.003), serum insulin (r=0.221, p<0.001), the HOMA index of insulin resistance (r=0.226, p<0.001) and the fatty liver index (r=0.231, p<0.001). In multivariate analysis betatrophin proved to be an independent predictor of diabetes, with a standardized adjusted odds ratio of 1.23 [95% CI 1.01-1.51], p=0.043. We conclude that betatrophin is associated with T2DM and markers of insulin resistance.