Samir Naeim ASSAAD, Reham Abdelhaleem ABO ELWAFA, Omneya Ahmed GAMALELDIN, Nourhan Ahmed HASSANIN, Maha El Sayed BONDOK
Endocrinology Research and Practice - 2026;30(2):96-104
Objective: Irisin, a myokine involved in metabolism and glucose regulation, has been associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cardiovascular disease, with inconsistent findings. This study assessed irisin levels in individuals with overweight/obesity with and without newly diagnosed diabetes and examined its association with subclinical atherosclerosis. Methods: Ninety participants were divided into 3 groups: 30 individuals with newly diagnosed T2DM and overweight/obesity (Group 1), 30 individuals with overweight/obesity without diabetes (Group 2), and 30 controls (Group 3). Anthropometrics, glycemic markers, lipid profile, serum irisin, high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and carotid intimal-media thickness (CIMT) were measured. Spearman's correlation and logistic regression were applied. Results: Serum irisin levels were higher in groups with overweight/obesity than in controls (P = .002) but did not differ by diabetic status. In subgroup analyses, irisin correlated positively with glycated hemoglobin (r = 0.56, P = .001), low-density lipoproteins (LDL-C) (r = 0.50, P = .005), hs-CRP (r = 0.38, P = .038), and CIMT (r = 0.63, P < .001) in Group 1 and with LDL-C (r = 0.37, P = .042) and CIMT (r = 0.40, P = .030) in Group 2. In multivariate regression, irisin remained independently associated with increased CIMT in individuals with T2DM and overweight/obesity (adjusted odds ratios (aOR) = 2.03 (95% CI = 1.04-3.94)) and in the overall cohort with overweight/obesity (aOR = 1.98 (95% CI = 1.15-3.42)). Conclusions: Serum irisin is elevated in obesity, irrespective of diabetic status, and is independently associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, suggesting its potential role as an early biomarker of cardiovascular risk.
