ADIPOQ and breast carcinoma: As regards adiponectin, we found decreased breast cancer risk with increasing levels in postmenopausal women, in agreement with the findings of a 2013 meta-analysis that examined 17 observational studies (4 nested case-control studies and 9 case-control studies)36, and found no association of adiponectin with breast cancer risk overall, but decreased risk in postmenopausal women.