Research

Hormonal

In rodents, resistin is an adipokine that directly causes insulin resistance and impairs glucose tolerance, whereas in humans, resistin is primarily secreted by macrophages and serves as a marker of inflammation rather than a direct cause of insulin resistance.

While resistin levels are elevated in obesity and correlate with insulin resistance, human biology differs from rodents. In humans, resistin is largely a marker of inflammation (from macrophages) rather than a direct driver of insulin resistance from fat cells. Managing inflammation and metabolic health requires a holistic approach, not just targeting this single biomarker.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Resistin was first discovered as an adipose-secreted hormone (adipokine) linked to obesity and insulin resistance in rodents... However, in contrast to rodents, resistin is expressed and secreted from macrophages in humans and is increased in inflammatory conditions.
Hyeong Kyu Park et al. · Diabetes & Metabolism Journal · 2013

Why this rating

The paper is a comprehensive review citing numerous animal studies and human clinical/epidemiological studies, though human causal data is less definitive than rodent data.

Source

Resistin in Rodents and Humans

Hyeong Kyu Park et al. · Diabetes & Metabolism Journal · 2013

DOI 10.4093/dmj.2013.37.6.404

narrative_reviewCited 194×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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