More convincingly, health status at the 12-year follow-up was suggestive of a directional link between copeptin and onset of metabolic disorders: among subjects without type 2 diabetes mellitus or impaired fasting glucose at baseline, those who became diabetic during the follow-up period had higher baseline plasma copeptin (6.74 vs 4.90 pmol/L) than nonconverters. The gene discussed is AVP; the disease is diabetes mellitus.