Adiponectin signals to metabolic tissues
Biomarker library
Metabolic Syndrome
Adiponectin
Adiponectin is a hormone made by fat tissue that, unusually, does good: it makes your cells more sensitive to insulin and helps them burn fat.
Measured in your health assessment, with a doctor to explain your result. Book yours
Why it matters
Paradoxically, the more fat you carry, especially around the organs, the less adiponectin you make. A low level is one of the earliest signs of metabolic syndrome and is linked with type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
What a result can mean
Lower than the range
Low levels are linked with abdominal fat, insulin resistance, fatty liver and a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Higher than the range
Higher levels are generally favourable, seen with leanness, fitness and good insulin sensitivity. Very high levels also occur with kidney or heart failure, where they don't carry the same benefit.
What can help
Losing excess weight, regular exercise and a Mediterranean-style diet all raise adiponectin.
Read it with
NoteGeneral educational illustration. Colours, sizes and movement are simplified. This is not a scan or a simulation of your body. General information, not personal medical advice: a doctor reads your own results with your history.
Know your adiponectin.
Measured in your health assessment and explained by the doctor who reviews your results.