['Adiponectin has been linked to the metabolic syndrome and coronary artery disease in recent years. The animal and human data also suggest that adiponectin may be beneficial for liver functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between plasma adiponectin level and liver function tests in adults with or without chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.', 'We analysed the blood levels of liver enzymes and adiponectin in 140 apparently healthy adults, including 21 HBV carriers.', 'We found that the plasma adiponectin levels were inversely correlated to aspartate aminotransferase (r = -0.314, P = 0.000) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (r = -0.430, P = 0.000). Among the HBV carriers, the ALT correlated with the plasma adiponectin levels (r = -0.521, P = 0.015). In linear regression models adjusting for age, sex and the other metabolic variables, the ALT was independently related to the plasma adiponectin levels (beta = -0.371 +/- 0.134, P = 0.007), even in HBV carriers (beta = -1.143 +/- 0.482, P = 0.034). The ALT was also independently correlated to the plasma adiponectin levels (beta = 0.552 +/- 0.132, P < 0.001) with adjustment for age, sex and insulin-resistance index by homeostasis model assessment, even in HBV carriers (beta = -1.202 +/- 0.562, P = 0.048). The subjects with normal ALT had a significantly higher least square mean of plasma adiponectin than those with abnormal ALT (4.01 +/- 0.19 vs 3.30 +/- 0.30, P = 0.014) with adjustment for age, sex, homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance and HBV status.'] Is lower plasma adiponectin correlated to higher alanine aminotransferase independent of metabolic factors and hepatitis B virus carrier status?