ADIPOQ and metabolic syndrome: The level of adiponectin (an adipocyte-derived cytokine, which reduces free fatty acids and promotes lipid metabolism) is found in the current study to negatively correlate with triglyceride level (p = 0.006), positively correlate with HDL (p = 0.007) in women who do not have metabolic syndrome, and negatively correlate with waist circumference in women who have metabolic syndrome (Table 3).