SLC2A4 and metabolic syndrome: In fact, RBP4 has been associated with a number of components of metabolic syndrome such as hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia independently of kidney function, such as in our cohort, while it may adversely affect the metabolic profile by increasing insulin resistance through mechanisms such as increased hepatic gluconeogenesis decreased GLUT4 translocation and impaired insulin signalling in adipose tissue [35].