Adiponectin and Leptin Levels significantly Linked to Metabolic Health, suggests study

Metabolic health status is a strong predictor of cardiovascular risk, especially among individuals with obesity. This study analyzed data from 8,423 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study who attended Visit 2 (1990-1992) and Visit 4 (1996-1998).

Three categories of metabolic health were defined for the participants:

• metabolically healthy

• metabolically unhealthy without diagnosed diabetes

• metabolically unhealthy with diagnosed diabetes.

Adiponectin and leptin levels were assessed at Visit 2, and their relationships with metabolic health transitions over six years were evaluated. Secondary analysis was conducted, splitting results by obesity status (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²).

Key Findings

• Baseline age averaged 58 years and the sample was composed of 56% female, with 21% Black race.

• Adiponectin and metabolic health decline: For 1-SD higher adiponectin, the risk of transition from healthy to unhealthy metabolic health was reduced by 47% over six years (OR 0.53, 95% CI: 0.48-0.57).

• Leptin and metabolic health decline: For 1-SD higher leptin levels, the risk of transition from healthy to unhealthy metabolic health was increased by 122% (OR 2.22, 95% CI: 2.01-2.47).

• Adiponectin and improvement in metabolic health: Greater adiponectin levels were associated with 58% greater odds of being metabolically unhealthy at baseline transitioning to healthy at follow-up (OR 1.58, 95% CI: 1.42-1.76).

• Leptin and improvement in metabolic health: Higher leptin levels were associated with 32% lower odds of improving metabolic health (OR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.60-0.78).

• Obesity and metabolic health transitions: While the body mass index stratum adjusted patterns showed concordance, the relationship of adiponectin with metabolic health was more adjusted, whereas that of leptin remained of lesser magnitude.

The study authors concluded, “Adipokines may be useful for identifying persons who would benefit most from aggressive preventive therapies and should be evaluated as potential targets for modifying metabolic health. Adiponectin and leptin play somewhat different roles in metabolic health transitions. Thus, the study suggests adipokines may become a focus of interventions for metabolic health and its reduction of cardiovascular disease.

Reference:

Bige Ozkan, Sui Zhang, Justin B Echouffo-Tcheugui, Roberta Florido, Vijay Nambi, Erin D Michos, Layla A Abushamat, Kunihiro Matsushita, Gary Gerstenblith, Roger S Blumenthal, Ron Hoogeveen, Christie M Ballantyne, Josef Coresh, Elizabeth Selvin, Chiadi E Ndumele, Adipokines and Transitions in Metabolic Health Over Time: The Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARIC) Study, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2025;, dgae916,https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgae916