Adiponectin
DEAdiponektin
Adiponectin is a hormone your fat cells release (an 'adipokine'), mostly from white fat. It is unusual among fat hormones: it goes DOWN as you gain fat, not up. Levels fall with obesity and belly fat, and rise with weight loss, caloric restriction, and aerobic exercise. It circulates in a few sizes (trimers, hexamers, and large multimers), and the large form is the most active. Adiponectin works through two receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) to switch on AMPK and PPAR-α. That improves your insulin sensitivity, burns fat, lowers the liver's glucose output, and protects your arteries. Low adiponectin independently predicts type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease, and goes with faster biological aging. Tellingly, high levels show up in centenarians and their children.
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