Obesity Hormone Linked with Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

Low levels of circulating adiponectin, an obesity-related hormone, are associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, reported researchers from Harvard Medical School in Boston. 

While the etiology of pancreatic cancer is still not well understood, evidence continues to emerge that obesity is a significant risk factor.

To test the effects of adiponectin, a hormone secreted primarily by adipose tissue, on the development of pancreatic cancer, researchers followed 468 participants with pancreatic cancer and 1080 control participants, all of which had given blood more than a year before. 

Median plasma adiponectin levels were significantly different between the 2 groups, at 6.2 mcg per mL in participants with pancreatic cancer and 6.8 mcg per mL in controls.

Levels of adiponectin were inversely associated with cancer risk, and when divided into quintiles, those with the highest levels of adiponectin were shown to have the lowest cancer risk. 

-Michael Potts