Abstract
Objectives
A proposed missing link between obesity and metabolic disturbances is adiponectin,
an adipocyte-derived peptide. Adiponectin is a potent antidiabetic hormone and seems
to have a beneficial influence on lipid profile as well. The need to explain the complex
physiological roles of this hormone prompted the authors to study the relationship
between adiponectin level and obesity – related abnormalities in a homogenous population
of postmenopausal women.
Study design
The study involved 272 postmenopausal women aged 50–60 years. Invitations to participate
in the study were sent to 4000 randomly chosen women from the Wroclaw city population
fulfilling the age criterion. A telephone questionnaire was administered to the group
of 1731 women who responded to the invitation and then subjects for the study were
selected. Main outcome measures anthropometrical measurements of body fat tissue content
and fat tissue distribution assessment were carried out in all the women. Moreover,
serum concentrations of adiponectin, glucose, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol,
triglycerides and insulin were measured.
Results
The most frequent (76%) phenotype among the investigated women was obesity (BMI >25)
with abnormal (= 80 cm) waist circumference (OAW), Obesity with normal (<80 cm) waist (ONW) and normal weight with abnormal waist (NOAW) were observed in only
5% and 14% of the women, respectively. Non-obese women with normal waist (NONW) were
noted in only 5% of the subjects. Serum adiponectin levels in both groups of non-obese
women (NOAW and NONW) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in the women with obesity or overweight and abnormal waist circumference
(OAW group). Adiponectin levels in the women with obesity or overweight and normal
waist (ONW) were also higher than in the OAW group; however, this difference was not
statistically significant (p = 0.05). In all the women, serum adiponectin level correlated negatively with BMI (r = −0.34, p = 0.0001), total fat (r = −0.28, p = 0.0001), android fat deposit (r = −0.23, p = 0.0001), waist circumference (r = −0.33, p = 0.0001), glucose (r = −0.27, p = 0.0001), triglycerides (r = −0.34, p = 0.0001), and FIRI (r = −0.34, p = 0.0001) and positively with the gynoid/android fat deposit ratio (r = 0.28, p = 0.0001) and HDL cholesterol (r = 0.36, p = 0.0001).
Conclusions
These results confirm that adiponectin could be a marker of the development of menopausal
insulin resistance syndrome.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 23, 2009
Accepted:
November 4,
2009
Received in revised form:
November 3,
2009
Received:
July 10,
2009
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
