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Adiponectin trajectories before type 2 diabetes diagnosis: Whitehall II study
Adam G Tabák1, Maren Carstensen, Daniel R Witte
1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK. a.tabak@ucl.ac.uk
Diabetes Care
|August 31, 2012
Summary
Lower adiponectin levels precede type 2 diabetes diagnosis by a decade. Sex-specific trajectories in adiponectin (a hormone) suggest distinct mechanisms influencing diabetes development.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Metabolic Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The role of adiponectin in the natural history of diabetes remains unclear.
- Understanding adiponectin's role is crucial for characterizing type 2 diabetes development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize prediagnosis adiponectin trajectories in individuals who later develop type 2 diabetes.
- To investigate sex-specific differences in adiponectin levels and their association with diabetes onset.
Main Methods:
- A case-cohort study nested within the Whitehall II study.
- Serum adiponectin measured up to three times over 13 years in 335 diabetes cases and 2,474 non-cases.
- Multilevel models analyzed adiponectin trajectories preceding diagnosis or a matched time point.
Main Results:
- Diabetes cases had significantly lower baseline adiponectin levels than non-cases.
- Adiponectin showed a modest annual decline in controls, with higher levels in women.
- Female and early-onset diabetes cases exhibited a steeper adiponectin decline, independent of obesity, unlike men.
Conclusions:
- Lower adiponectin levels were evident up to a decade before type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
- Significant sex differences in adiponectin trajectories suggest distinct sex-specific mechanisms in diabetes development.
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