Abstract
Although experimental studies have shown that adiponectin and leptin modulate glucose tolerance and insulin resistance, it remains unclear whether these adipocytokines exert similar effects in general human populations. We evaluated the associations of serum adiponectin and leptin with β-cell function and insulin resistance in a population with low obesity prevalence. A cross-sectional study of 783 rural residents, aged 25–74 years, recruited in Ningxia, China was conducted during 2008–2012. β-cell function and insulin resistance were estimated using the Homeostasis Model Assessment. Serum adiponectin and leptin were measured with ELISA. Serum adiponectin concentrations (mean ± SD) were highest in subjects with normal glucose tolerance (36.65 ± 61.13 μg/ml), intermediate in those with impaired fasting glucose (25.92 ± 34.48 μg/ml), and lowest in those with diabetes (15.08 ± 12.14 μg/ml) (p = 0.001). A similar pattern of differences was found for β-cell function, whereas opposite results were observed for insulin resistance and blood glucose. After adjustment for confounders including metabolic syndrome components, serum adiponectin (μg/ml) was inversely associated with β-cell function (%β) [β (95% CI): -7.57 (-12.33, -2.81)] and insulin resistance (100/%S) [β (95% CI): -0.21 (-0.33, -0.09)]. A significant inverse association also existed between serum leptin and β-cell function, but serum leptin was not significantly associated with insulin resistance. The present study suggests that adiponectin and leptin play a role in the development of insulin resistance and diabetes independent of metabolic syndrome.
Highlights
The global prevalence of overweight, obesity, and diabetes has reached epidemic proportions and poses a tremendous public health problem [1, 2]
We evaluated the associations of serum adiponectin and leptin with β-cell function and insulin resistance in a population with low obesity prevalence
The major findings of the present study were that there was a significant gradient decrease in serum concentrations of adiponectin across the three groups of subjects with different levels of glycemic tolerance. Both serum adiponectin and leptin were inversely associated with β-cell function, whereas only serum adiponectin was inversely associated with insulin resistance
Summary
The global prevalence of overweight, obesity, and diabetes has reached epidemic proportions and poses a tremendous public health problem [1, 2]. The World Health Organization has estimated that 39% of the world adult population were overweight and 13% of them were obese in 2014 [3]. Obesity prevalence has levelled off in developed countries since 2006, it has been continuously increasing in developing countries, including China [1, 4]. An overall upward trend in the prevalence of diabetes has occurred between 1980 and 2014 primarily due to a simultaneous increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity [2]. Population-based studies have reported that there were 422 million cases of diabetes in 2014 in the world [2] and 114 million projected cases of diabetes in 2010 in China [5]
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