Background: Adiponectin is the most abundant circulating protein secreted by adipocytes. There is uncertainty about the association between adiponectin levels and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). We conducted this meta–analysis to summarize the effect of adiponectin on the risk of CHD. Methods: An extensive search was performed to identify all prospective studies on the association of adiponectin levels and risk of CHD. The fixed– or random–effects model was selected to pool the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Twelve prospective studies comprising 8 nested case–control studies and 4 cohort studies were included in the meta– analysis. The pooled RR for CHD was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.69–0.98, (P =0.031). No publication bias was found in our study (P= 0.911). Conclusions: This meta–analysis showed that higher levels of adiponectin were associated with a low risk of CHD. The protective effect was consistently existed in men and women and in the middle–aged populations.