Adiponectin is associated with lipid profile and insulin sensitivity in French adolescents

Aim: The favourable relationship of adiponectin with the metabolic profile demonstrated in adults has been less studied in youths. The aim of this study was to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between adiponectin and various metabolic risk factors in 12-year-old adolescents. Methods: Subjects were participants in a randomized controlled study to promote physical activity (PA). Cross-sectional associations were assessed at entry in 2002 among 647 PA-exposed and control first-level students (49% male, 11.6 ± 0.6 years of age). Longitudinal analyses involved 288 control students surveyed in 2002 and 2004. Baseline measurements included fasting serum adiponectin and anthropometric indices (body mass, waist size, body fat [BF] by bioimpedance), insulin concentration, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), soluble TNF-α receptor 1 (sTNF-α R1) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Analyses were performed with generalized linear mixed-effects models, taking into account correlations among adolescents in the same school. Results: Cross-sectionally, plasma adiponectin was inversely associated with obesity indices, especially waist size (P < 10^-2), HOMA (P < 0.03), insulin (P < 0.04), TG (P < 10^-2) and sTNF-α R1 (P < 0.05), and positively related to HDL cholesterol (P < 10^-4), after adjusting for age, gender, sexual maturity, sports participation and adiposity when relevant. Longitudinally, a higher baseline adiponectin level was associated with a more favourable two-year change in TG (P < 0.05), even after accounting for baseline TG, and two-year BF and insulin changes. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest a favourable relationship between adiponectin and both metabolic profile and subsequent changes in TG level in young adolescents.