Leptin-adiponectin imbalance as a marker of metabolic syndrome among Chinese children and adolescents: The BCAMS study

Leptin and adiponectin have opposite effects on subclinical inflammation and insulin resistance, both involved in the development of metabolic syndrome (MS). We aimed to investigate whether leptin/adiponectin ratio (L/A), as a marker of these two adipokines imbalance, may improve diagnosis of MS in children and adolescents, and determined its cut-off value in the diagnosis of MS. A total of 3,428 subjects aged 6-18 years were selected from Beijing Child and Adolescent Metabolic Syndrome study. Adipokine leptin and adiponectin were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Odds ratio of MS per 1 z-score of adipokine was examined using logistic regression. Diagnosis accuracy was assessed using c-statistics (AUC) and net reclassification index. The levels of leptin and L/A increased with number of positive MS components, while the levels of adiponectin declined in both boys and girls (all P