Register for Low adiponectin levels related to development of type 2 diabetes
EndocrinologySeptember 23, 2002
by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - Low adiponectin levels were predictive of the development of type 2 diabetes in Pima Indians, according to a recent report the Lancet.
Adiponectin is a protein hormone produced by fat tissue and released into the bloodstream. Researchers have theorized that adiponectin plays a role in obesity by affecting fatty acid oxidation and energy release. Animal studies have demonstrated that adiponectin can increase insulin sensitivity, and reduced adiponectin levels are associated with insulin resistance.
Robert S. Lindsay and his colleagues from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDKD) conducted a case-control study involving 140 members of the Pima Indian population to determine the affect of adiponectin on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Data on the subjects were obtained from a longitudinal health study conducted with the Pima Indians.
Of the 140 subjects, 70 eventually developed type 2 diabetes and 70 acted as controls. The two groups were matched for body mass index (BMI), age, and sex. (Adiponectin and development of type 2 diabetes in the Pima Indian population. Lancet, 2002;360(9326):57-58).
The investigators found significantly lower baseline levels of adiponectin in the patients who developed diabetes than in the controls (p=0.01). Type 2 diabetes was significantly less likely to develop in subjects with relatively high concentrations of adiponectin (p=0.02).
These study results provide more evidence for a protective role of adiponectin in preventing insulin resistance.
The corresponding author for this study is Robert S. Lindsay, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 1550 East Indian School Road, Phoenix, AZ 85014, USA. E-mail: rlindsay@mail.nih.gov.
A search at www.NewsRx.net using the search term "insulin resistance" yielded 108 articles in 21 specialized reports.
Key points reported in this study include:
* Significantly lower baseline concentrations of adiponectin were found in Pima Indians who developed type 2 diabetes than in Indians who did not develop diabetes
* Pima Indians who possessed relatively high levels of adiponectin were significantly less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared with Indians with low adiponectin levels
* Adiponectin appears to play a protective role against the development of type 2 diabetes. This article was prepared by Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week editors from staff and other reports.
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