IGFBP-3 appeared to be more abundant in the heart than in the liver and in the failing hearts from patients with ischemic heart disease than in those with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
A recent nested case-control study found that adults without IHD, but with low circulating IGF-I levels and high IGF binding protein-3 levels, had a significantly increased risk of developing IHD during a 15-year follow-up period.