Abstract
This study was designed to investigate adiponectin levels and their relationship to various parameters at baseline and after 5 years in non-obese first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetes patients (FDR group) versus subjects without a family history of diabetes (normal group). Adiponectin levels at baseline were lower in the FDR group versus the normal group. After 5 years, adiponectin levels had fallen significantly in both the FDR (24.3% reduction) and the normal (35.7% reduction) groups. Adiponectin levels were negatively correlated with waist/hip ratio, fasting plasma glucose, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and insulin resistance in the FDR group. When adjusted for relevant risk factors, adiponectin was associated with age, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and IMT; these factors explained 45% of the variation in adiponectin in the FDR group. In the normal group, multiple regression analyses revealed that low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and IMT explained 25% of the variability in the adiponectin concentration. In both groups, however, the correlation between adiponectin and IMT just failed to reach statistical significance in this population group. We conclude that adiponectin levels were reduced in non-obese first-degree relatives of patients with type 2 diabetes and normal individuals over a 5-year period. This study supports previous findings that hypoadiponectinaemia is a risk factor for atherosclerosis.