The association between common serum adipokines levels and postmenopausal osteoporosis: A meta‐analysis

The clinical relevance of blood levels of adipokines in individuals with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) has not been previously clarified. We performed this meta‐analysis to clarify the association between three common adipokines levels and the occurrence of PMOP. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, and China National Knowledgement Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched for collecting articles published before 31 October 2021, without language and status restrictions. Fourteen studies met the selection criteria. Meta‐analysis revealed that blood leptin level was remarkably lower (mean difference [MD], −1.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], −3.83 to −0.06; I(2) = 96%) and adiponectin level was remarkably higher (MD, 3.48; 95% CI, 2.36 to 4.60; I(2) = 90%) in individuals with PMOP than healthy individuals with normal bone mineral density (BMD). However, the statistical difference in leptin level was changed after eliminating the confounding influence of leptin sources and assay approaches. Furthermore, a positive association (r = 0.28) between leptin level and body mass index (BMI) as well as a negative association (r = −0.33) between adiponectin level and BMD was found. Moreover, adiponectin had the highest probability of predicting PMOP (84%). Current evidence suggests that leptin positively affects BMI and adiponectin negatively affects BMD, and adiponectin is the most relevant adipokine negatively associated with PMOP.