Adiponectin associated with Type 2 Diabetes

Persons with higher levels of adiponectin, a protein that is produced by fat cells and that has anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing properties, have an associated lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Harvard School of Public Health researchers conducted a review to assess the consistency of the association of adiponectin levels and risk of type 2 diabetes. The researchers identified thirteen studies with a total of 14,598 participants and 2,623 new cases of type 2 diabetes that met the criteria.

The authors found that higher adiponectin levels were associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. This inverse association was consistently observed in whites, East Asians, Asian Indians, African Americans and Native Americans. The results did not differ substantially by method of diabetes ascertainment, study size, follow-up duration, body mass index or proportions of men and women.