ABSTRACT
Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that adiponectin, a major adipocyte secretory protein, has insulin-sensitizing and anti-atherogenic properties and protects against later development of type 2 diabetes. We investigated the association of adiponectin with insulin resistance, blood lipids and type 2 diabetes in non obese central Indian population.Methods: Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured in 149 (81 male and 68 female) newly diagnosed non obese type 2 diabetic patients and 157 (85 male and 72 female) age and body mass index (BMI) matched controls.Results: Adiponectin level (p<0.0001) was significantly lower in the diabetic group than in non diabetic control. In an age, gender and BMI adjusted model, adiponectin level was significantly negatively correlated with waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (p= 0.0034), HbA1C, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides (p<0.0001) and positively correlated with HDL-cholesterol (p =0.0014) in non obese type 2 diabetic group. However, there was no significant correlation between adiponectin and glucose in this study. In stepwise linear regression analysis, adjusted for potential confounder, significant inverse association was observed between serum adiponectin level and HOMA-IR (p = 0.0001). In multivariate logistic regression model, adjusted for age, gender, BMI, waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio, lower adiponectin was independently associated with the presence of type 2 diabetes (p<0.0001).Conclusions: Lower adiponectin levels in non obese type 2 diabetic patients were significantly related to the increased insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and presence of type 2 diabetes, independently of overall and abdominal adiposity, thereby suggesting a direct link between adiponectin and carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in human.