Determinants of adiponectin levels in young people with Type 1 diabetes

Aims To determine whether adiponectin levels are higher in youth with Type 1 diabetes than in non‐diabetic controls, and explore potential determinants for this difference. Methods Data are from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Case‐Control Study. A total of 440 youth with Type 1 diabetes and 191 non‐diabetic healthy controls age 10–22 years of non‐Hispanic White (NHW), African‐American (AA) and Hispanic (H) origin were included in this analysis. Mean adiponectin levels were compared between persons with diabetes and controls within each racial/ethnic group, sequentially adjusting for the following variables: demographic (age, sex, Tanner stage), kidney function (albumin: creatinin ratio: ACR), obesity (body mass index: BMI; waist circumference), behavioral (percent calories from fat, physical activity), and glucose control (hemoglobin A1c: HbA_1c). Results Mean adiponectin levels, adjusted for age, sex and Tanner stage, were higher in persons with Type 1 diabetes than in control subjects, among NHW (17.6 vs 13.0 µg/ml, P < 0.001) and H (17.2 vs 13.0, P = 0.01), and slightly higher but not significantly so among AA (14.5 vs 12.6, P = 0.1). The differences persisted after additionally adjusting for differences in ACR, BMI and waist circumference. We found a positive relationship between adiponectin and HbA_1c in youth with Type 1 diabetes, even after adjustment for age, sex and race/ethnicity. Conclusions Adiponectin is higher in an ethnically diverse group of youth with Type 1 diabetes than in control subjects. The relationship between glycemic control and adiponectin in Type 1 diabetes requires further exploration.