Plasma adiponectin concentrations predict insulin sensitivity of both glucose and lipid metabolism

In animals, the adipocyte-derived hormone adiponectin has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, a key factor in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. In Pima Indians, high plasma adiponectin levels are associated with increased insulin sensitivity and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. It is unclear whether this is also the case in white individuals and whether an additional beneficial effect on lipid metabolism exists. We therefore analyzed in nondiabetic individuals the associations between plasma adiponectin concentrations and insulin sensitivity measured by a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp (n = 262) and estimated by an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT; n = 636) and serum lipid parameters using correlational analysis. Plasma adiponectin concentrations were positively correlated with insulin sensitivity, both measured with the clamp (r = 0.28, P = 0.0015 in women; r = 0.42, P < 0.0001 in men) and estimated from the OGTT (r = 0.37, P < 0.0001 in women; r = 0.41, P < 0.0001 in men) before and after adjusting for sex and percentage of body fat (all P < 0.001). Fasting triglycerides and the free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations during the OGTT (area under the curve) and at 120 min were negatively correlated in both women and men, whereas HDL was positively correlated with plasma adiponectin concentrations (all P < 0.004). Most notable, these relationships remained significant after adjusting for insulin sensitivity of glucose disposal in addition to sex and percentage of body fat (all P < 0.05). In conclusion, high adiponectin predicts increased insulin sensitivity. This relationship is independent of low body fat mass and affects not only insulin-stimulated glucose disposal but also lipoprotein metabolism and insulin-mediated suppression of postprandial FFA release. This suggests pleiotropic insulin sensitizing effects of adiponectin in humans.