| Summary: | Obesity is increasing globally and related to major changes in lifestyle. This increase is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Knowledge about adipose tissue as a metabolic-endocrine organ has increased during the last few decades. Adipose tissue produces a number of proteins with increased body weight, many of which are important for food intake and satiety, insulin sensitivity, and vessel integrity, and aberrations have been related to atherosclerosis. Notably, the risk for developing CVD over the course of a lifetime differs between men and women. In Northern Sweden, men have a higher risk for myocardial infarction (MI). However, the incidence is declining in men but not in women. These sex differences could be due to functional and anatomical differences in the fat mass and its functions. The primary aim of this thesis was to evaluate associations between the adipocyte-derived hormones leptin and adiponectin, and fibrinolysis and other variables associated with the metabolic syndrome, and particularly whether these associations differ between men and women. Another aim was to evaluate these associations during physical exercise and pharmacological intervention (i.e. enalapril). Finally, whether leptin and adiponectin predict a first MI or sudden cardiac death with putative sex differences was also investigated. The first study used a cross-sectional design and included 72 men and women recruited from the WHO MONICA project. We found pronounced sex differences in the associations with fibrinolytic variables. Leptin was associated with fibrinolytic factors in men, whereas insulin resistance was strongly associated with all fibrinolytic factors in women. The second study was an experimental observational study with 20 men exposed to strenuous physical exercise. During exercise, leptin levels decreased and adiponectin levels increased, and both were strongly associated with an improved fibrinolytic capacity measured as decreased PAI-1 activity. Changes in insulin sensitivity were ...
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