Relationship between Alcohol Consumption and Serum Adiponectin Levels: The Takahata Study—A Cross-Sectional Study of a Healthy Japanese Population

Context: The relationship between alcohol consumption and serum adiponectin levels has not been fully explored in an Asian population. Objective: Our goal was to determine whether alcohol consumption is associated with a change in adiponectin levels in a healthy Japanese population. Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Setting: Subjects were recruited from participants in a health check-up program. Participants: This study included 2932 subjects (1306 men and 1626 women). Main Outcome Measures: The effects of total weekly or daily volume of ethanol intake on serum adiponectin levels were evaluated. In addition, the correlation of clinical traits with serum adiponectin levels was examined. A multivariate regression model was used to control for possible confounding factors. Results: Alcohol consumption was weakly correlated with decreased serum adiponectin levels in men [Spearman’s ordered correlation coefficient (rs) = −0.141; P < 0.001]; an even weaker correlation was seen in women (rs = −0.055; P = 0.025). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that alcohol consumption was independently associated with hypoadiponectinemia. Conclusion: In contrast to reports from the United States and Europe among White and Black subjects, our study demonstrated an inverse association between alcohol intake and serum adiponectin levels in Asian subjects, suggesting ethnic differences in the effects of alcohol consumption on serum adiponectin levels. Alcohol consumption is weakly associated with decreased serum adiponectin concentrations in healthy Japanese subjects.