Given the association of plasma water T2 with other proteins that predict future type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis, namely fibrinogen, complement C3 and C4, haptoglobin, α1-acid glycoprotein (orosomucoid) and apolipoprotein B, the association of water T2 with HGF provides further evidence that plasma water T2 is a biomarker of the metabolic dysregulation that precedes type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease [8]. Here, C3 is linked to atherosclerosis.