Vaspin
Vaspin is an adipokine released mainly by visceral fat that appears to improve insulin sensitivity - levels are abnormal in obesity and shift with weight loss.
Plain English
Patient-Friendly Explanation
Vaspin is a protein released mainly by fat tissue, especially the fat packed around the abdominal organs. Its full name - visceral adipose tissue-derived serine protease inhibitor - describes where it comes from and what it does biochemically. Functionally it behaves like a protective signal: in laboratory work vaspin improves the way muscle and liver respond to insulin and dampens inflammation, and it is best understood as part of the body's attempt to defend itself against the metabolic damage of excess fat. In people, vaspin levels tend to be higher in obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, and they change after weight loss, exercise and improved blood sugar control. Which direction they move in different studies is not always consistent, and vaspin is not a test used in routine care in Singapore. Its interest is that it shows obesity as a disorder of hormone signalling, not simply of stored calories.
Medical
Clinical Definition
Vaspin (visceral adipose tissue-derived serpin) is an adipokine of the serine protease inhibitor (serpin) family, originally identified in visceral adipose tissue of the obese Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rat and subsequently detected in human adipose tissue, hypothalamus, pancreatic islets and stomach. Experimental work supports an insulin-sensitising role: vaspin administration improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in obese and diabetic rodent models, reduces food intake, suppresses hepatic glucose production and has anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects through inhibition of its target protease and modulation of the PI3K/Akt and NF-kappa B pathways. In human cross-sectional studies, serum vaspin correlates with body mass index, visceral fat area, HOMA-IR, fasting insulin, triglycerides, hs-CRP and the presence of metabolic syndrome, and is elevated in obesity, type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome and coronary artery disease in many cohorts. The literature is, however, inconsistent: some studies report lower vaspin in obesity and a rise after weight loss, exercise training or improved glycaemic control, whereas others find elevated levels in insulin-resistant states - the pattern expected of a compensatory, protective adipokine, analogous to hyperinsulinaemia in insulin resistance. Vaspin differs from adiponectin in showing this direction-dependent behaviour, and its association with visceral rather than subcutaneous adipose tissue distinguishes it from several other adipokines. Assays remain research-grade; there is no validated clinical reference range and vaspin is not used for diagnosis or monitoring.
Key Insight
Why It Matters
Vaspin is a research marker, not something we order on your blood panel - but it is useful evidence that fat tissue actively fights back against the damage extra weight causes. In clinic the signals we act on are your waist, fasting glucose and HbA1c, all of which track the same biology.
Sources
Reviewed against standard medical references.
Medically reviewed by
Family Physician & Registered Acupuncturist, Accord Medical Clinic. MBBS (NUS), Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine (NUS), Graduate Diploma in Acupuncture (Singapore College of TCM).
Last reviewed: September 2026
This page is general health education, not medical advice. Whether any treatment is appropriate for you is a decision made in consultation after assessment.
