IGFBP-2 and aging: a 20-year longitudinal study on IGFBP-2, IGF-I, BMI, insulin sensitivity and mortality in an aging population

Objective Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-2 (IGFBP-2) concentrations are low in subjects with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Intriguingly, recent studies have demonstrated an association between high IGFBP-2 concentrations and increased mortality not only in populations with certain types of cancer, but also in relatively healthy populations. We evaluated the role of IGFBP-2 in relation to BMI and mortality. Design and Participants BMI, insulin sensitivity, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) and IGFBP-2 were assessed repeatedly in 539 participants of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging around the ages of 55, 65 and 75 years. Results IGFBP-2 concentrations positively correlated with insulin sensitivity and inversely with BMI, both at baseline and follow-up. Independent of IGF-I, sex, BMI and insulin sensitivity, circulating IGFBP-2 levels positively correlated with age (P