Low adiponectin state is associated with metabolic abnormalities in obese children, particularly depending on apolipoprotein E phenotype.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Adiponectin links obesity with insulin resistance, which causes various metabolic abnormalities including dyslipidaemia. Apolipoprotein E (apoE) phenotypes also affect lipoprotein profiles. We aimed to determine whether low adiponectin concentrations are associated with insulin resistance and downstream metabolic abnormalities in obese children. METHODS: We measured fasting concentrations of lipids, apoE, glucose, insulin and adiponectin, as well as anthropometric parameters, in 191 obese children aged 6-15 years. ApoE phenotypes were determined by isoelectric focusing. Boys (n = 79) and girls (n = 39) with apoE3/3 were classified into tertiles according to their adiponectin concentrations. Metabolic parameters, were compared among these three groups in boys and girls separately. RESULTS: The low adiponectin groups had higher median homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) than the middle and high adiponectin groups in both boys [5.3 (low) versus 3.1 (middle; P < 0.05) and 3.5 (high; P < 0.05)] and girls [5.0 (low) versus 4.4 (middle) and 3.0 (high; P < 0.05)]. However, only boys who were in the low adiponectin group exhibited significantly higher concentrations of blood pressure, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, and remnant-like particle-cholesterol, and lower concentrations of HDL-cholesterol compared with the middle or high adiponectin groups. CONCLUSION: Low adiponectin concentration is associated with insulin resistance in obese children. Furthermore, decreased adiponectin with E3/3 exhibited more prominent downstream metabolic abnormalities in obese boys than in obese girls.