Status and physiological significance of circulating adiponectin in the very old to centenarians

Abstract High levels of circulating adiponectin are associated with increased insulin sensitivity, low diabetes prevalence, and low BMI; however, high levels of circulating adiponectin are also associated with increased mortality in the 60s and 70s. This study analyzes the characteristics and physiological significance of circulating high-molecular-weight (cHMW) adiponectin levels in the very old (85–89 years old) and centenarians. We found that cHMW adiponectin levels increased significantly beyond 100 years of age, were negatively associated with diabetes prevalence, and were associated with single nucleotide variants in CDH13 and ADIPOQ . Multivariate regression analysis revealed that genetic variants, BMI, and lipids were major factors associated with cHMW adiponectin levels in the very old. However, the same factors showed less or no association in centenarians. High levels of cHMW adiponectin in very older men with low BMI were significantly associated with mortality, while no such relationship was found for very older women or centenarians.