Adiponectin and type 2 diabetes in Samoan adults

Objective: Previous studies have established an association between adiponectin and type 2 diabetes. It is unclear whether adiponectin will be useful among Samoan Islanders, characterized by markedly elevated levels of obesity, in differentiating those at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Methods: Cross‐sectional, genetic epidemiology study of obesity in American Samoa and Samoa 2002–2003 ( n = 1,599). Logistic regression provided adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association between adiponectin, diabetes, and prediabetes (impaired fasting glucose). Results: There is a significant decreasing trend in the odds of diabetes and prediabetes across increasing quintiles of adiponectin with an OR of 2.8 (95% CI: 1.6, 5.0) and 2.9 (95% CI: 1.5, 5.7), respectively, in the lowest relative to the highest quintile of adiponectin ( P ‐for‐trend = 0.004 and 0.001). Conclusions: Adiponectin is an important correlate, independent of other risk factors, of the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes among Samoan islanders and may help distinguish those at higher risk of developing this disease. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.