In the present study, we selected two common SNPs of IL-16 gene, namely rs4778889, associated with altered levels of gene expression, as well as rs11556218, representing an asparagine to lysine substitution in exon 6 of IL-16 gene [19,29], to explore their potential relevance with the risk of T2DM in a Chinese Han population. Here, IL16 is linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus.