Adiponectin to Predict Cardiometabolic Risk in Postmenopausal Women
Among postmenopausal women, researchers investigated the association of cardiometabolic parameters and circulating levels of visfatin, adropin, and adiponectin.
Adiponectin served as the best biomarker for predicting cardiometabolic disease risk in postmenopausal women when compared with other metabolic-regulating adipokines, according to data published in Frontiers in Endocrinology.1 The findings led researchers to suggest that adiponectin plays a crucial role in the identification and management of patients’ metabolic health within the postmenopausal population.
“The World Health Organization (WHO) has described natural menopause as the permanent cessation of menstrual bleeding resulting from the loss of ovarian follicular activity,” wrote authors of the study. “With menopause, the risk of obesity and the amount of abdominal and visceral fat increase, further exacerbating the associated cardiometabolic risk. Obesity has serious consequences, such as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and several types of cancer.”
Adiponectin is a monomeric protein that is synthesized and secreted in white adipose tissue. | image credit: Sandris_ua / stock.adobe.com
Obesity and menopause have the ability to impact metabolic outcomes in women. In turn, researchers were led to investigate the association of cardiometabolic parameters and circulating adipokines among this population.
“There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that adipokines play crucial roles in the regulation of inflammation state,” wrote authors of a study published in Biomedicines.2 “In particular, the information provided in this review indicates that in a state of inflammation, dysfunctional adipose tissue leads to the dysregulation of adipokines, which in turn causes multiple diseases.”
READ MORE: Premature, Early Menopause Associated with Increased Risk of T2D
In the present study of postmenopausal women, researchers explored 3 types of adipokines—visfatin, adropin, and adiponectin—because of their hormonal changes during menopause.1
According to the authors, visfatin is one of the most important adipokines and it plays a role in the body’s immunity, metabolism, aging, inflammation, and stress responses. Adropin helps regulate metabolism and endothelial functions, and it is often involved in endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance, and energy homeostasis. Finally, adiponectin is a monomeric protein that is synthesized and secreted in white adipose tissue, similar to visfatin. Higher levels of adiponectin correlate with lower BMI and individuals considered underweight or normal weight.
“Many studies have reported that body fat mass increases in aging women, but the extent to which menopausal status mediates these changes remains unclear. The aim of this study was to assess how cardiometabolic parameters are linked to the levels of circulating visfatin, adropin, and adiponectin in perimenopausal women depending on their obesity status,” wrote the authors.1
Researchers sought postmenopausal women from 45 to 64 years old to include in the study. All participants had normal mammography and cervical smear results, no clinically confirmed metabolic diseases, and were not taking any menopausal hormone therapy. A total of 168 patients (mean age, 54.34; mean time since menopause, 7.95 years) were included in the final analysis.
“Adiponectin stands out among the three adipokines studied as the most significantly associated with adiposity indices and metabolic serum biomarkers in perimenopausal women, highlighting its unique role in regulating metabolic health,” continued the authors.1 “Compared to the other adipokines, adiponectin demonstrates stronger and more consistent associations with metabolic parameters, emphasizing its potential as a key mediator in these processes.”
Adiponectin stood out amongst other adipokines because of the negative correlation of adiponectin levels with visceral adiposity indices (VAI) and lipid accumulation product (LAP). When adjusted for age and menopausal status, however, VAI was inversely proportional to adiponectin.
“Similar connections were found in preliminary multivariate linear regression analysis adjusted for age, menopausal status, smoking, and alcohol consumption,” they wrote.1 “Moreover, the level of adiponectin was negatively correlated with HbA1C, fasting blood glucose, insulin, and TG. Preliminary multivariate linear regression analysis showed that circulating adiponectin positively correlated with HDL, and negatively with HOMA-IR.”
Despite adiponectin standing out amongst other adipokines, they all have various properties and functions that make them unique. Aside from adiponectin, visfatin and adropin play their own parts and are crucial in regulating metabolic health. But until further research is conducted to better understand the functions of adipokines, adiponectin will be the standard for identifying and managing cardiometabolic risk in women with menopause.
“Adiponectin may be used or considered as a valuable biomarker for identifying and managing metabolic health in this population. The research findings suggest that adiponectin is not only associated with general adiposity but also with specific markers of metabolic health, such as visceral fat distribution, lipid profile, and insulin resistance,” they concluded.1
READ MORE: Women’s Health Resource Center
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