Influence of age and visceral fat area on plasma adiponectin concentrations in women with normal glucose tolerance

doi:10.1016/j.cca.2007.11.017

Clinica Chimica Acta

Volume 389, Issues 1–2, March 2008, Pages 45-50

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cca.2007.11.017 Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

Age-related adiponectin concentration has been discrepantly reported. We investigated the distribution of adiponectin by age in healthy women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and the relationship of adiponectin with visceral fat area (VFA).

Methods

Three-hundred fifty-nine women (age: 38 ± 0.6 years, BMI: 26.5 ± 0.2 kg/m²) were categorized into 4 age-groups: 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, and 50–64 years. Computed tomography was performed to measure abdominal fat area and adiponectin, TNF-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), CRP, insulin, free fatty acid (FFA), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were determined.

Results

No significant differences were observed in BMI, total body fat percent and concentrations of insulin, IL-6 and CRP among age-groups. Waist circumference, total fat area at L4, and FFA were significantly higher only in postmenopausal women than in previous decades of premenopausal women. VFA, adiponectin and TNF-α concentrations are significantly higher in older women than in younger women. Higher adiponectin concentration in older women was clearly shown even after adjustment for VFA (P < 0.05). Age per se was positively correlated with plasma adiponectin concentrations (r = 0.21, P < 0.001) and these relationship became stronger (r = 0.36, P < 0.001) after controlled for VFA. VFA was negatively correlated with adiponectin (r = − 0.16, P < 0.01) in total studied population. However, when analyzed subgroups separately, a strong negative correlation (r = − 0.37, P < 0.001) was found in younger women (< 40 years), while a weak significant relationship (r = − 0.18, P < 0.05) was found in older women (≥ 40 years). In a multiple stepwise regression model to predict adiponectin, only age and VFA remained in the model at P < 0.001.

Conclusions

We observed a significant positive relationship between plasma adiponectin and age, even after adjustment for visceral adiposity. These associations suggest that adiponectin concentrations are affected by visceral adiposity, with additional independent effects of age.

Introduction

There is growing evidence that the adipose tissue per se is a large endocrine organ, as it secretes several biologically active substances with systemic action such as adiponectin, TNF-α and leptin [1], [2]. Although aging is well-known to be associated with several hormonal alterations, the effect(s) of aging on the endocrine function of adipose tissue is not fully elucidated [3]. Aging is very often accompanied by a preferential deposition of adipose tissue in the abdominal cavity [4], [5], and an increase in circulating concentrations of TNF-α [6] without significant changes of plasma leptin concentration [7]. However, the consequence of aging on adiponectin concentration has not been fully examined.

Adiponectin is an anti-inflammatory protein produced exclusively by adipocytes, and plays a protective role against atherosclerosis [3], [8]. In contrast to what is the case for most adipose-tissue-proteins that increase with adiposity, a strong negative correlation between plasma adiponectin concentrations and body mass index (BMI) has been shown both in humans and in animals [9], [10], [11]. Furthermore, visceral adiposity has been shown to be an independent negative predictor of adiponectin [12]. Although previous findings regarding the influence of age on circulating adiponectin concentrations are considered controversial, a few studies [10], [13] have reported the elevation of adiponectin concentrations in the elderly. This seemingly contradictory finding that concentrations of adiponectin were elevated in elderly subjects who were presumed to have high visceral fat accumulation and a low-grade proinflammatory state is intriguing.

Age, sex and body composition are known factors that determine differences in plasma concentrations of adiponectin [14]. In addition, adiponectin and TNF-α have been reported to antagonize each other and to regulate each other’s expression [15], [16], [17]. Since the accumulation of visceral fat has been suggested to be more detrimental to health in women than in men [18], it may be important to assess the relationship of elevated health risk to visceral adiposity in women independently of men. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological distribution of adiponectin throughout the decades of the adult life in healthy women and to study its relationship with visceral fat area (VFA) measurements. We also determined circulating concentrations of TNF-α and inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP).

Section snippets

Study population

A total of 359 healthy Korean women with a mean age of 38 ± 0.6 years (range 20–64 years) and BMI of 26.5 ± 0.2 kg/m² (range 18.6–37.8) were recruited from participants in a clinical study conducted by the National Research Laboratory of Clinical Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics (Program # R0A-2005-000-10144-0) in Yonsei University whose final goal is to acquire nutrigenetic/nutrigenomic technology to devise personalized nutrition program by using genotype–phenotype evidence to prevent

Body composition including CT-measured abdominal fat area according to age-group

Table 1 shows anthropometric and CT-measured abdominal fat area data and blood pressure for the 4 age-groups of the studied female population. The significant differences among age-groups are indicated in the last column. No significant differences were observed in BMI and total body fat percent throughout the decades. Waist circumference, total fat area at L4 and systolic blood pressure were significantly higher only in group 4 of postmenopausal women than in the second and previous decades of

Discussion

In the present study we found a significant positive relationship between plasma adiponectin and age, even after adjusted for visceral adiposity. When we divided the women into 4 age-groups based on decade, it appeared that the mean of adiponectin concentration was significantly higher in older women (≥ 40 years) than younger women (< 40 years) and postmenopausal women > 50 years displayed about 30% higher adiponectin concentration relative to those of second decade. Isobe et al. [20] also

Acknowledgement

We acknowledge support from the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF) grant, the Korea government Ministry of Science & Technology, Seoul, Korea (MOST) (M10642120002-06N4212-00210), National Research Laboratory project # R0A-2005-000-10144-0, Ministry of Science & Technology, Seoul, Korea, Korea Health 21 R&D Projects, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Seoul, Korea (A000385, A020593), and Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Human Ecology, Yonsei University.

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¹: These two authors equally contributed to this work.

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Influence of age and visceral fat area on plasma adiponectin concentrations in women with normal glucose tolerance

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Introduction

Section snippets

Study population

Body composition including CT-measured abdominal fat area according to age-group

Discussion

Acknowledgement

Immunol Allergy

J Biol Chem

Biochem Biophys Res Commun

Metabolism

Metabolism

Metabolism

Metabolism

Blood

Mech Ageing Dev

Leptin and the adipocyte endocrine system

Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci

The adipose tissue: a novel endocrine organ of interest to the nephrologist

Nephrol Dial Transplant

Ageing and plasma adiponectin concentration in apparently healthy males and females

Clin Endocrinol (Oxf)

Age-related increase in visceral adipose tissue and body fat and the metabolic risk profile of premenopausal women

Diabetes Care

The endocrinology of aging

Science