Research
Hormonal
Visfatin (also known as NAMPT or PBEF) exhibits insulin-mimicking effects in vitro by stimulating glucose uptake and insulin signaling pathways, but its physiological role in humans regarding insulin sensitivity remains controversial and unclear.
Visfatin has insulin-like properties in lab settings, but its role in human health is complex and not fully understood. Current evidence does not support using visfatin levels to guide treatment. Focus on proven lifestyle interventions for metabolic health.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
The biological role of visfatin is not entirely understood, but several studies indicated glucose lowering and insulin-mimicking/-sensitizing effects of visfatin... However, it seems that visfatin production is regulated by glucose upon time-dependent stimulation... The controversial findings on visfatin levels... were also reported in various rat or mouse models of obesity.
Why this rating
Strong in vitro evidence, but conflicting and inconclusive human observational data.
Source
Resistin and visfatin: regulators of insulin sensitivity, inflammation and immunity
Andrea Štofková · Endocrine Regulations · 2010
DOI 10.4149/endo_2010_01_25
narrative_reviewCited 193×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Both resistin and visfatin act as pro-inflammatory mediators that contribute to chronic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease, by stimulating cytokine production and immune cell activation.Good
- Resistin acts as a pro-inflammatory mediator that impairs insulin sensitivity through multiple mechanisms, including inhibition of glucose transporter activity, suppression of GLUT4 translocation, and activation of inflammatory pathways like NF-kappaB.Moderate
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