Do low levels of circulating adiponectin represent a biomarker or just another risk factor for the metabolic syndrome?
Brooks NL; Moore KS; Clark RD; Perfetti MT; Trent CM; Combs TP Department of Nutrition, Schools of Public Health and Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. The metabolic syndrome is currently defined by various combinations of insulin resistance, obesity, dyslipidaemia and hypertension. The tendency for these risk factors to appear simultaneously suggests a single aetiologic basis. A low level of circulating adiponectin is associated with the appearance of each metabolic syndrome risk factor. The following review summarizes a large body of evidence that suggests a low level of circulating adiponectin represents an independent risk factor and a possible biomarker for the metabolic syndrome. An association between the metabolic syndrome and low adiponectin supports the view that the development of the metabolic syndrome may be triggered by a single underlying mechanism. Clinical studies in the future may show that a low level of circulating adiponectin is a primary
