Fetuin-A levels and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis
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Updated: Feb 19, 2026

Modeling and Evaluation of Murine Diabetic Cardiomyopathy Model
Published on: November 29, 2024
Vivian Yawei Guo1, Bing Cao2, Chunyan Cai3
1Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 3F, Ap Lei Chau Clinic, 161 Main Street, Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong. viviguo@hku.hk.
Aims:
Fetuin-A has been linked to insulin resistance and obesity. Its role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has also been discussed. We aimed to investigate the prospective association of fetuin-A and the risk of T2DM in a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Methods:
A systematic search of studies from the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Pubmed and Web of Science using fetuin-A, diabetes and various synonyms was conducted up to June 5, 2017. Relevant studies were extracted by two reviewers independently. The quality of studies was assessed using Newcastle-Ottawa scales. Overall estimates were pooled using fixed effect with inverse variance meta-analysis. Subgroup analyses by gender, study population, techniques of assessing fetuin-A, diabetes ascertainment methods, follow-up duration and measures of association were conducted.
Results:
Seven studies comprising a total of 11,497 individuals and 2176 cases of T2DM were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Overall, one SD increment of fetuin-A level was associated with a 23% greater risk of incident T2DM (RR: 1.23, 95% CI 1.16-1.31). No significant heterogeneity or publication bias was found. The association was relatively stable across different subgroups. However, the association seemed only evident in women, but not in men.
Conclusions:
Higher circulating fetuin-A levels were associated with increased risk of T2DM. However, the causality deserved further analysis.
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