Relationship of serum osteocalcin levels with blood glucose, insulin resistance and lipid profile in central Indian men with type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship of serum osteocalcin levels with blood glucose, insulin resistance and lipid profile in central Indian men with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured in 56 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic men and in 56 age and body mass index (BMI) matched controls. Insulin resistance was calculated by homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). RESULTS: After adjustment for age and BMI, osteocalcin levels were negatively correlated with fasting plasma glucose (p = 0.0004), fasting insulin (p = 0.0311), HOMA-IR (p = 0.0023), and triglycerides (p = 0.0095), and positively correlated with high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (p = 0.0042) in type 2 diabetic patients. In multivariate logistic regression analyses that adjusted for age, BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, osteocalcin was inversely associated with the presence of type 2 diabetes (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Osteocalcin may play a protective role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, not only through direct involvement in glucose homeostasis, but also through improving lipid profile.