Adiponectin and the development of type 2 diabetes: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

• Published in: Diabetes (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 53; no. 9; pp. 2473 - 2478
• Main Authors: DUNCAN, Bruce B, SCHMIDT, Maria Inês, PANKOW, James S, BANG, Heejung, COUPER, David, BALLANTYNE, Christie M, HOOGEVEEN, Ron C, HEISS, Gerardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandria, VA American Diabetes Association 01.09.2004
• Subjects: Adipocytes; Adiponectin; African Americans; African Americans - statistics & numerical data; Arteriosclerosis - epidemiology; Arteriosclerosis - metabolism; Atherosclerosis; Atherosclerosis (general aspects, experimental research); Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Cardiology. Vascular system; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - metabolism; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Ethnicity; European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Female; Glucose; Humans; Hypertension; Incidence; Inflammation; Insulin resistance; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Leukocytes; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mortality; Obesity; Plasma; Proteins; Proteins - metabolism; Risk Factors; Type 2 diabetes; United States - epidemiology; United States; United Kingdom; United States > US; Vascular disease; Type 2 diabetes; Endocrinopathy; Atherosclerosis; Risk factor; Development; Cardiovascular disease; Adiponectin
• ISSN: 0012-1797; 1939-327X
• DOI: 10.2337/diabetes.53.9.2473

Adipocyte-derived secretory proteins have been increasingly linked to diabetes. To investigate whether adiponectin, a major adipocyte secretory protein, predicts diabetes, we conducted a case-cohort study representing the approximately 9-year experience of the 10,275 middle-aged, U.S. African-American and white participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Adiponectin was measured on stored plasma of 581 incident diabetes case subjects and 572 noncase subjects. Overall hazard ratios (95% CIs) for developing diabetes, for those in the second, third, and fourth (versus the first) quartile of adiponectin were 0.57 (0.41-0.78), 0.39 (0.27-0.56), and 0.18 (0.11-0.27), respectively, after adjustment for age, sex, ethnicity, study center, parental history of diabetes, and hypertension and 0.72 (0.48-1.09), 0.67 (0.43-1.04), and 0.58 (0.34-0.99), respectively, after additional adjustment for BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, fasting glucose, insulin, and a score composed of six inflammation markers. The association was of similar magnitude in men and women and in whites and African Americans, but was absent in smokers and in those with a greater inflammation score (interaction P < 0.01 for each). In conclusion, in this community-based sample of U.S. adults, higher adiponectin levels were associated with a lower incidence of diabetes.