High circulating adiponectin levels predict decreased muscle strength among older adults aged 70 years and over: A prospective cohort study

•At baseline, higher serum adiponectin levels were strongly associated with poorer physical performance.•Higher serum adiponectin predicted decreased lower-extremity muscle strength with aging.•Adiponectin levels were not related to changes in balance and walking ability.

Background and aimsPopulation-based researches indicate that circulating adiponectin is inversely associated with muscle strength. However, interpretation of the findings has been limited by the use of a cross-sectional design. This study aimed to examine the prospective relationship between baseline circulating adiponectin concentration and change in muscular function-related physical performance in older adults.Methods and resultsA 1-year prospective cohort study of Japanese community-dwelling elderly was conducted between 2002 and 2003. Four hundred thirty-four older persons participated in the measurements of physical function, including leg extension power, functional reach, timed up-and-go test, and 10-m maximum walking speed, at baseline and follow-up. After adjustment for potential covariates, higher serum adiponectin concentration was found to be significantly associated with poorer physical performance at baseline (leg extension power [watt], P < 0.001; functional reach [cm], P < 0.001; log timed up-and-go test, P = 0.007; log 10-m maximum walking speed, P < 0.001). The results of the prospective analysis by analysis of covariance indicated that the elderly with higher serum adiponectin concentrations (tertiles) at baseline tended to have a decreased performance in leg extension power (means [95% confidence interval]: lowest, −105 [−125, −85.7]; middle, −117 [−135, −97.8]; highest, −140 [−160, −120], watt, P for trend = 0.021) and timed up-and-go test (lowest, −0.08 [−0.28, −0.12]; middle, −0.10 [−0.29, 0.10]; highest, 0.28 [0.07, 0.48], s, P for trend = 0.019), but not two other functioning.ConclusionHigh circulating adiponectin concentration may be an indicator of decreased physical performance, especially muscle strength, in older adults.