IGFBP3 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: Taken together, based on our data and previous studies demonstrating IGFBP-3 proteolysis in patients with type 2 diabetes [17], we speculate that increased proteolytic IGFBP-3 fragments in overweight and obese individuals probably result in reduced levels of intact IGFBP-3 thereby inhibiting its IGF-independent anti-inflammatory functions.