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Aims/Introduction: Despite increasing interest in growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) based on its involvement in age‐related disorders, clinical implications – especially for metabolic diseases – remain unclear. Therefore, we assessed the association between serum GDF11 levels and metabolic disturbance in the Chinese population. Materials and Methods: A total of 381 individuals from the Shanghai Nicheng Cohort Study were included. In addition to anthropometry, laboratory and ultrasonography measurements, serum concentrations of GDF11 were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Circulating GDF11 concentrations were unchanged with age (r = –0.064, P = 0.210), but showed an inverse relationship to body mass index, waist circumference and fat‐free mass index (all P < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed decreased GDF11 concentrations accompanied by elevated diastolic blood pressure, fasting and 2‐h plasma glucose, triglycerides, and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol after adjusting for sex, age and body mass index, whereas variations in aspartate aminotransferase and free thyroxine were consistent with GDF11 (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, people, especially men, with abnormal glycometabolism, body mass index and/or fat accumulation in the liver had lower serum levels of GDF11 (P < 0.05); an increase in metabolic syndrome morbidity along with the circulatory decline of GDF11 was found when stratified by GDF11‐level quartiles (P‐trend <0.001). Logistic regression showed that serum GDF11 levels were independently correlated with the presence of metabolic syndrome (odds ratio 0.665, 95% confidence interval 0.510–0.867, P = 0.003). Conclusions: We confirmed GDF11 as an endocrine factor playing a significant role in multiple metabolic processes and an indicator of metabolic syndrome in the Chinese population, particularly in males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]