Patent ID: 8058014

Claim:
A method of predicting an increased risk of: obesity, obesity-dependent subacute inflammation, obesity-dependent atherosclerosis, obesity-dependent cardiovascular disease or an obesity-dependent metabolic disease in a subject, comprising: (a) determining an amount of omentin 1 protein (SEQ ID NO:1) or both omentin 1 protein and omentin 2 protein (SEQ ID NO:3) in a sample from a subject, and (b) comparing the amount of omentin 1 protein or both omentin 1 protein and omentin 2 protein determined in (a) to a corresponding subject-matched control value determined for a population of subjects without obesity, obesity-dependent subacute inflammation, obesity-dependent atherosclerosis, obesity-dependent cardiovascular disease or an obesity-dependent metabolic disease, wherein when the amount of omentin 1 protein or both omentin 1 protein and omentin 2 protein determined in (a) is statistically significantly less than the corresponding subject-matched control value, the subject is predicted to have an increased risk of obesity, obesity-dependent subacute inflammation, obesity-dependent atherosclerosis, obesity-dependent cardiovascular disease or an obesity-dependent metabolic disease.