Everyone is talking about hormones related to metabolism. Let's review adiponectin, focusing on its function.
First discovered in 1995, adiponectin is an adipokine or hormone secreted by white adipose or fat tissue. Of all of the adipokines, adiponectin is the most abundant. High levels of adiponectin are desirable.
Low Adiponectin, High Adiponectin
Adiponectin is produced by fat cells. It limits inflammation and promotes weight loss. When this hormone is high, leptin tends to be low. When leptin is high, as in leptin resistance, adiponectin tends to be low. You want high adiponectin levels and low leptin levels.
When adiponectin is low, insulin levels tend to be higher, and insulin resistance is present. Adiponectin serves as an insulin sensitizer. High insulin levels are not good for multiple reasons. Insulin is neoplastic or acts as a growth hormone.
Low levels of adiponectin are also present in people with lipodystrophy, which is an abnormally low amount of subcutaneous adipose tissue accompanied by abnormal fatty deposits, such as on the visceral. Recall that subcutaneous adipose tissue is healthy, while deep subcutaneous adipose tissue (love handles) and visceral adipose tissue (on organs, in muscles) are not healthy. Low adiponectin with lipodystrophy is also seen with liver disease, especially with fatty liver.
Lipomas or fatty tumors are formed by abnormal fat cells that produce very little adiponectin.
To increase adiponectin levels, you must work to lower leptin, leptin resistance, insulin, and GLP-1. Exercise and GLP-1 agonist medications will produce the result of increased adiponectin. Rather than taking an expensive prescription, naturally, raising your own GLP-1 may be a better, cheaper, and longer-term solution.
Adiponectin as a Biomarker?
Although serum adiponectin blood tests may be performed at commercial laboratories, they may not be the best choice to evaluate for metabolic problems. Fasting leptin, fasting insulin, fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c, fasting triglycerides, and HDL are all better tests to evaluate for metabolic problems. Adiponectin levels are low when insulin resistance is present.
Quest Diagnostics clarifies the research related to adiponectin levels:
• Individuals with low adiponectin levels have a 3X risk of developing metabolic syndrome [1].
• Men with two or more risk factors for metabolic syndrome and high adiponectin levels are half as likely to develop metabolic syndrome as men with low adiponectin levels [2].
• Individuals with low levels of adiponectin are up to 9X as likely to develop type 2 diabetes [3].
• Individuals with low adiponectin levels have a 2X increase in the prevalence of CAD [4].
• Adiponectin levels in the blood can be increased by thiazolidinediones, such as pioglitazone [5].
**Pioglitazone is an anti-diabetic drug that also blocks cytokine production, blocks TNF-alpha (inflammatory), lowers insulin resistance, and lowers leptin levels.
Other functions of Adiponectin
Adiponectin plays a role in:
suppressing gluconeogenesis in the liver
anti-inflammation / oxidative stress
atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease
skeletal muscle use of fatty acids for energy
protecting cells from apoptosis
acts as a messenger between adipose tissue and other organs
anti-obesogenic effects
neuroprotective properties
To learn more about leptin and leptin resistance, https://www.savannahfunctionalmedicine.com/post/what-is-leptin-what-is-leptin-resistance
References:
1. Chen SJ et al. PLoS ONE. 2012; 7: e45693.
2. Kotooka N et al. Int J Cardiol. 2012 Nov 26. pii: S0167-5273(12)01441-6. doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2012.10.066. [Epub ahead of print].
3. Daimon M et al. Diabetes Care. 2003; 26: 2015-2020.
4. Kumada M et al. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2003; 23: 35-39.
5. McCoy RG et al. Mayo Clin Proc. 2012; 87: 561-570.
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