ADIPOQ and coronary artery disorder: Associations between higher adiponectin levels and higher cardiovascular risk have been reported before in individuals with type 2 diabetes [16] and may be explained as counterregulatory phenomenon as discussed above for IL-1Ra [30] The second explanation is of interest because adiponectin is upregulated by natriuretic peptides which are direct markers of coronary heart disease and could mediate such associations [31].