Correlation between serum adiponectin level and the metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women: a population-based study

Background: Although the inverse correlation of adiponectin with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance has been suggested in various studies, but there is few studies about correlation between serum adiponectin level and metabolic syndrome in post menopause women. Materials and Methods: In an extension of a large epidemiological study, the Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study, a total of 382 healthy postmenopausal women (age, 58.5±7.4 years) were randomly selected from 13 clusters in Bushehr port. The metabolic syndrome was defined according to NCEP, ATPIII criteria. Serum adiponectin and hsCRP level were measured by highly specific enzyme linked immunosobent assay (ELISA). Results: The geometric mean (±SD) of adiponectin was lower (10.23±1.54µg/ml) in individuals with metabolic syndrome than healthy subjects (12.02±1.58 µg/ml)(p=0.003). In multiple logistic regression analysis, metabolic syndrome correlated with adiponectin after adjusting for age, hsCRP and BMI (OR=0.15, CI=0.04-0.59, P=0.007). Conclusion: In post menopause women, metabolic syndrome is significantly associated with lower serum levels of adiponectin. In order to increase circulatory adiponectin levels, weight reduction and increase of physical activity may be considered.