What’s Adiponectin? Functions,& Causes

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image credit: science direct

Find out how adiponectin affects your body’s physiology and metabolic functions.

Adiponectin is a hormone your adipose (body fat) tissue releases that help with insulin sensitivity and inflammation. Low levels of adiponectin are associated with several conditions, including obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and atherosclerosis.

I wrote this article to help you understand what adiponectin is, and how it affects your physiology and metabolic functions.

Feel free to skip to any topic that interests you most.

What’s Adiponectin?

Adiponectin is an adipokine secreted by adipocytes (body fat cells), which is a well-known homeostatic factor for regulating glucose levels, lipid (fat and oil) metabolism, and insulin sensitivity through its anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, and antioxidant effects.

In simple terms, Adiponectin is a hormone and an adipokine protein that affects several metabolic processes and is mainly known for its insulin-sensitizing and anti-inflammatory effects.

 Your adipose tissue (body fat) is mainly responsible for producing adiponectin, though other tissues in your body produce it as well. (1)

Hormones are chemicals that coordinate different functions in your body by carrying messages through your blood to your organs, muscles, and other tissues. These signals tell your body what to do and when to do it. (2)

Adipokines (also called adipocytokines) are hormones that your adipose tissue makes that play functional roles in energy and metabolic processes. (3)

Metabolic processes (metabolism) are the many chemical reactions inside your body that turn the food (calories) you eat into energy and transport that energy to all your cells. (4)

Scientists characterized Adiponectin in 1995, as a protein abundantly secreted by adipocytes (body fat cells). (1)

Lower-than-normal adiponectin levels are associated with several endocrine and metabolic conditions, including:

Scientists are still learning more about how adiponectin works and other functions it may have. (5)

Functions of Adiponectin

Adiponectin plays an important role in several metabolic, physiological, and cellular functions such as insulin sensitization, weight loss, obesity, and anti-inflammatory effects. (6)

Adiponectin & insulin sensitivity

Insulin is a hormone your pancreas makes to regulate blood glucose (sugar) levels by lowering them. More specifically, insulin helps glucose in your blood enter your muscle, fat, and liver cells so they can use it for energy or store it for later use. Because of this, insulin is essential for life.

Insulin sensitivity refers to your body’s ability to use insulin effectively. The more insulin sensitivity you have, the more easily your body can use insulin and keep your blood glucose (sugar) levels in a healthy range.

Here is how Adiponectin plays important role in insulin sensitivity;

  • Impacting insulin sensitivity in your skeletal muscle (the muscles attached to your bones that help you move) and liver.
  • Increasing insulin release from your pancreas.
  • Enhancing basal (background) glucose and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in adipose (fat) tissues.
  • Inhibiting (preventing) glucose production in your liver.
  • Promoting fatty acid oxidation.
  • Promoting fat storage in subcutaneous fat pads instead of visceral fat pads, liver, or skeletal muscle. (7, 8, 9)

 This type of fat storage reduces visceral fat mass and systemic inflammation, with improved glucose and fat metabolism and increased insulin sensitivity.

Adiponectin & Obesity

Obesity is a disease that happens when the body accumulates too much adipose tissue. A person is considered obese if their body mass index (BMI) exceeds 30 and their waist-to-hip ratio is higher than 0.90 for men or 0.85 for women.

When the body accumulates high amounts of fat (especially around the abdomen), it causes a cascade of fat consequences inside the body.

Excess adipose tissue can cause breathing problems and put pressure on the diaphragm. It also leads to fat accumulating in the liver, which may eventually damage the liver.  The body reacts to obesity with chronic inflammation that is triggered by fat tissue.

Overweight and obese people have below-average adiponectin levels, meaning that even though they have more adipose tissue (body fat) but the fat produces less adiponectin. And that’s where the problem lies. (10, 11, 12, 34)

Adiponectin & inflammation

Inflammation occurs when your immune system sends out cells to fight bacteria or heal an injury. There are two main types of inflammation:

Acute inflammation: This is the necessary response to sudden bodily damage, such as a cut on your arm. To heal the cut, your body sends inflammatory cells to the injury to start the healing process.

Chronic inflammation: This happens when your body continues sending inflammatory cells even when there’s no outside danger. Many conditions can cause or be affected by chronic inflammation, including rheumatoid arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer.

Adiponectin decreases inflammation in macrophages (a type of white blood cell that surrounds and kills microorganisms), endothelial tissue, muscle cells, and epithelial cells.

Adiponectin’s anti-inflammatory properties result in the protection of your vascular system, heart, lungs, and colon. (13,14,15)

In addition, when the level of adiponectin decreases, it cannot combat the chronic inflammation caused by obesity. Over time, chronic inflammation stresses the body and causes damage to tissues and organs.

Adiponectin & cardiovascular disease

Poor diet and genetic factors can cause plaque to accumulate on the artery walls of your body which is the main cause of cardiovascular disease, and it’s common in people that are obese too.

Adiponectin is an adipose-derived plasma protein that is downregulated in individuals with obesity-related disorders.

Low levels of adiponectin are associated with the increased prevalence of obesity-linked cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease and peripheral artery disease.

Adiponectin attenuates inflammatory responses to multiple stimuli by modulating signaling pathways in a variety of cell types.

The anti-inflammatory properties of adiponectin may be a major component of its beneficial effects on cardiovascular and metabolic disorders including atherosclerosis and insulin resistance. (13, 16, 17, 18)

In healthy people, adiponectin helps to prevent this process, but in obese persons with decreased adiponectin, it can’t do this job as well as it should.

Adiponectin & weight loss

Scientific research has shown that weight loss or caloric restriction leads to increasing adiponectin levels, and this increase is associated with increased insulin sensitivity. (19)

They’re now trying to figure out if adiponectin can help people lose weight. So far, they have discovered that weight loss can increase adiponectin levels.

Several weight loss studies have demonstrated that lower body weight and waist circumference improves adiponectin levels. And Weight loss plays an important role in lowering blood sugar, bad cholesterol (LDL), and C – reactive protein (a marker of inflammation). (20)

I hope you’re getting value. Let’s go down a bit to find out the natural ways to increase your adiponectin to a healthy range.

Adiponectin & leptin

What’s the difference between adiponectin and leptin?

Leptin is the body’s satiety hormone that tells you when you’ve eaten your fill.

Leptin and adiponectin are both hormones, and adipokines, that your adipose tissue makes and releases. Leptin enhances metabolism and reduces appetite.

Like adiponectin, abnormal levels of leptin are associated with obesity. However, while higher adipose tissue (body fat) mass results in elevated leptin levels, a higher body fat mass results in lower adiponectin levels. (21, 22, 23)

Causes of Adiponectin Abnormalities

What conditions are associated with abnormal adiponectin levels?

Several health conditions are associated with abnormal adiponectin levels, including:

  • Obesity and underweight
  • Insulin resistance
  • Atherosclerosis
  • Lipodystrophy (24, 25)

Most of these conditions are associated with lower-than-normal adiponectin levels.

How to increase Adiponectin Naturally

You can’t eat adiponectin, but some foods may help increase adiponectin secretion by your body.

Here are the natural proven ways to increase your adiponectin levels:

  • Incorporate Ginger, Turmeric, and Chili pepper into your diet.

Research had shown that these three spices contain natural substances that can increase adiponectin

  • Incorporate clean proteins like eggs, fish, and poultry into your diet.
  • Eat more fiber and vegetables. Protein and fiber give you satiety and reduce appetite which helps you consume less food and loss weight.

Studies have shown that weight loss that results from healthy eating is the most effective natural way to increase your adiponectin level.

In a 2-year study with 811 obese and overweight volunteers, researchers discovered that calorie-restricted high-fat and low-fat diets were effective. Not only did they increase adiponectin levels, but they also lowered waist circumference and improved cholesterol levels too.

These studies focused on overweight and obese patients with long-term weight loss, not extreme or restrictive diets. (19, 20, 28)

  • Exercise can also help improve adiponectin levels, especially when combined with a well-structured weight loss program. Long-term physical activity has been shown to yield small and moderate adiponectin improvements.

Drugs that increase Adiponectin

Circulating adiponectin levels are increased by many commonly used drugs, such as statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and thiazolidinediones (TZDs) providing an important opportunity to gain insight into the mechanisms underlying their effects. (26)

Research has shown that drugs prescribed for diabetes, obesity, and hypertension, like Metformin, Thiazolidinedione, Rimonabant, and statins, resulted in higher adiponectin levels. (27)

However, these are strictly regulated medications designed for serious diseases that are not simply handed out to people looking for a fat-loss solution.

As such, they should only be administered on prescription and never taken without the supervision of a doctor.

Pharmaceutical engineers have also tried to biologically engineer an adiponectin molecule (adiponectin recombinant), as well as adiponectin agonists (molecules that could mimic its action on the body), but they’ve only been tested in mice, not on human subjects.

Supplement that increases Adiponectin

Can supplement increase Adiponectin?

Supplementing with curcumin which is found in turmeric in high concentration can improve Adiponectin.

Many experimental studies have proved curcumin is a safe phytochemical that improves insulin resistance through its effects on Adiponectin and leptin.

Another study investigated the effect of curcumin on circulating adiponectin and leptin concentrations in patients with metabolic syndrome.

The meta-analysis suggested that curcumin supplementation can improve serum levels of adiponectin and leptin in patients with metabolic syndrome.

However, this latter effect size did not reach statistical significance says the scientists. (35)

A study in 2015 investigated the effect of α-linolenic acid (Omega 3 fatty acid – fish oil) on serum adiponectin levels and insulin sensitivity in 20 patients with type 2 diabetes. (36)

And found that alpha-linolenic acid supplementation can improve glucose homeostasis and was associated with an increase in adiponectin.

This suggests a potential clinical utility of alpha-linolenic acid, however, further investigation is required to draw a conclusion.

One truth you should have in mind is that slimming pills do not really improve your adiponectin deep down as the markers may claim because no scientific research has been able to prove this inhuman.

Since the discovery of adiponectin’s protective powers, pharmaceutical companies, and supplement manufacturers have sought to milk this potential cash cow for weight loss to no avail as of yet.

Look for adiponectin fat loss supplements or adiponectin and leptin supplements online and you’ll be bombarded by a plethora of “slimming tablets” with wild claims about reclaiming that airbrushed Instagram-perfect bikini body that you never had.

Adiponectin supplement side effects

The supplements industry is not strictly regulated. Watch out for fat-burning supplements and detox teas which can have serious side effects. (29)

High Adiponectin

Is high Adiponectin bad or good?

High adiponectin levels aren’t great for our health. In fact, elevated adiponectin has been associated with several diseases too, such as:

  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Heart failure
  • Kidney failure
  • Lung disease

As a result, studies show that an adiponectin increase in patients is also linked to inflammation, which is a sign of ill health. Only this time, the inflammation isn’t caused by low adiponectin, but by other factors related to these diseases. (28, 29)

Adiponectin increase must stay at a normal range just like how your blood sugar should not be too high or too low.

Low Adiponectin

Much decrease in Adiponectin level is not a sign of healthy living. For example, lower than-normal adiponectin levels are found in people with three common metabolic diseases;

Diabetes type II: in this disease, the body produces insulin, but it doesn’t respond to its effects. Adiponectin makes the body more sensitive to insulin.

Heart disease: one of the main factors in heart disease is the build-up of plaque on the lining of the arteries (atherosclerosis). Adiponectin prevents the formation of plaque.

Obesity: this metabolic disease puts the body in a state of chronic inflammation, which is damaging to health. Adiponectin has anti-inflammatory properties. (30, 31)

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions on Adiponectin include;

What test checks adiponectin levels?

Adiponectin is one of the hormones found in your blood plasma in high concentrations.

A blood test can check the amount of adiponectin in a blood sample taken from a vein in your arm.

Healthcare providers might order an adiponectin blood test to help diagnose metabolic conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. However, there are other more common tests to diagnose these conditions.

What are normal adiponectin levels?

Normal value ranges for adiponectin levels may vary slightly among different laboratories. Be sure to look at the range of normal values listed on your laboratory report or ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about your results.

Normal adiponectin levels vary based on your sex organs and body mass index (BMI). (32, 33)

Body mass index (BMI) is a screening tool that measures the ratio of your height to your weight. Healthcare providers calculate BMI by using weight in kilograms (kg) divided by the square of height in meters square (m2).

In most people, BMI relates to body fat, but it’s not accurate in some cases. BMI alone does not diagnose obesity or health. Healthcare providers use BMI and other tools and tests to assess someone’s health status and risks.

In general, normal adiponectin ranges in men include:

  • People with a BMI less than 25: 5 to 37 micrograms per milliliter (ug/mL).
  • People with a BMI of 25 to 30: 5 to 28 ug/mL.
  • People with a BMI over 30: 2 to 20 ug/mL.

While normal adiponectin ranges in females include:

  • People with a BMI less than 25: 5 to 37 ug/mL.
  • People with a BMI of 25-30: 4 to 20 micrograms per milliliter (ug/mL).
  • People with a BMI over 30: 4 to 22 ug/mL.

Conclusion

Adiponectin is a hormone your adipose (body fat) tissue releases that help with insulin sensitivity and inflammation. Low levels of adiponectin are associated with several conditions, including obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and atherosclerosis.

Adiponectin plays an important role in several metabolic, physiological, and cellular functions such as insulin sensitization, weight loss, obesity, and anti-inflammatory effects.

Several health conditions such as obesity and underweight, insulin resistance, atherosclerosis, and lipodystrophy are associated with abnormal adiponectin levels.

You can’t eat adiponectin, but some foods may help increase adiponectin secretion by your body. Foods such as eggs, fish, poultry, fiber, and vegetables, can give you satiety, help you consume less food, lose fat, and gain muscle.

Also, spices like garlic, turmeric, and chili pepper have been scientifically proven as safe phytochemicals that improve adiponectin levels. In addition to mild consistent exercise.  All these put together are the best natural way to increase your adiponectin level and keep it at a healthy range.

A supplement like curcumin has been proven to increase adiponectin levels. Note that no slimming pills have been proven scientifically to improve adiponectin levels in humans.

I hope you get the value worth your time. I appreciate the time you spend with me. Leave a comment if you like this post. Do you have any questions regarding adiponectin and your health I did not answer here? Feel free to share with me in the comment below.

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The content provided in living Good Blog is for informational and educational purposes only. It’s not intended to provide medical advice or take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal doctor. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Living Good Blog takes no responsibility for possible health consequences of any person(s) reading or following the information in this educational content. Viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medication, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement, or lifestyle program.

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