Adiponectin: An independent risk factor for coronary heart disease in men in the Framingham offspring Study

Objective: Our aim was to determine whether plasma adiponectin levels were an independent predictor of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. Methods and results: Plasma adiponectin levels were measured in 3188 male and female participants from cycle 6 of the Framingham offspring Study (mean age: 57 years in both men and women; BMI: 28.5 kg/m(2) in men and 27.3 kg/m(2) in women), using a novel fully automated assay. Plasma adiponectin levels (median [25th percentile, 75th percentile]) were significantly higher in female than in male CHD-free subjects (14.8 [10.7,20.5] mu g/ml versus 9.0 [7.0,12.2] mu g/ml, p < 0.001). Participants were followed for a mean of 7.5 years. After adjustment for age, BMI, smoking status, systolic blood pressure, treatment for hypertension, diabetes, use of cholesterol-lowering medication, total cholesterol level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, and C-reactive protein levels, a higher plasma adiponectin level was a significant predictor of lower risk of future CHD events (n = 117) in men (HR 0.49, p < 0.0022). A similar trend was observed in women, but was no longer significant after multivariate adjustments. Conclusions: Our data indicate that plasma adiponectin levels are an independent predictor of CHD in Caucasian men initially free of CHD. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.