Association of Japanese dietary pattern with serum adiponectin concentration in Japanese adult men

Background and aimsAlthough previous studies suggest that the traditional Japanese dietary pattern is independently associated with a low cardiovascular disease mortality risk, the mechanisms mediating or linking this association are not well understood. Adiponectin has emerged as a valuable biomarker for cardiovascular diseases. The aim of present study was to evaluate whether dietary patterns are associated with serum adiponectin concentration in Japanese adult men.Methods and resultsWe designed a cross-sectional study of 702 men (median [interquartile range] age, 44.5 [37.8–54.2] years) living in Japan. Dietary consumption was assessed via a 75-item food frequency questionnaire. We used principal-components analysis to derive 3 major dietary patterns-“Japanese”, “sweets-fruits” and, “Izakaya (Japanese Pub)”- from 39 food groups. Serum adiponectin concentration was measured by using a specific sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. After adjustment for potential confounders, the geometric mean (95% confidence interval) for log-transformed adiponectin concentration associated with “Japanese” dietary pattern factor score tertiles were 5.24 (4.84–5.69) for the lowest tertile, 5.82 (5.39–6.29) for the middle tertile, and 5.95 (5.47–6.46) for the highest tertile (P for trend <0.01). In contrast, a significant inverse association was found between the “Izakaya” pattern factor score tertiles and adiponectin concentration (P for trend = 0.03).ConclusionsGreater adherence to the “Japanese” dietary pattern was independently associated to a higher serum adiponectin concentration in Japanese adult men. This finding supports the hypothesis that the traditional Japanese diet may have a potentially beneficial effect on adiponectin concentrations. A long-term prospective study or randomized trials are required to clarify this causality.