Adiponectin as independent predictor of the metabolic syndrome in overweight Latino youth

Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived hormone associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome, and hypoadiponectinaemia predicts insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes in adults. To assess the effect of adiponectin on the metabolic syndrome in Latino youth, 175 overweight children with a family history of type 2 diabetes were studied. To this end, body composition was estimated by DEXA, insulin sensitivity by the frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test, and visceral fat by MRI. A paediatric adaptation of the ATP III criteria was used to define the metabolic syndrome. Adiponectin levels, determined in fasting serum, were approximately 25% higher in healthy overweight youth compared to subjects with the metabolic syndrome. After adjustment for potential confounders such as insulin sensitivity and visceral fat, adiponectin was found to be a significant independent predictor of the metabolic syndrome in multiple regression analysis.

Abstract