Adiponectin is a protein hormone produced in fat cells that affects blood glucose regulation and fatty acid processing. Women have higher levels than men, and diabetics have lower levels. Adiponectin works with leptin to regulate body weight and has different receptors for different functions. Research is ongoing to produce synthetic versions for diabetic and weight loss treatments.
Adiponectin is a protein hormone that is produced in the fat cells of the human body. This hormone is known to have properties that affect blood glucose regulation and play a role in the processing of fatty acids in the bloodstream. Generally, adiponectin levels tend to be prominent in blood plasma. However, obesity can actually cause those levels to decrease.
While the study of human adiponectin functions is ongoing, modern research has revealed several interesting facts about this hormone. Women on average tend to have higher levels in their bloodstream than men. The reason for this phenomenon is not fully understood, although it is speculated that hormones responsible for primary and secondary gender attributes may inhibit adiponectin production in men.
Diabetics tend to have lower blood levels of adiponectin than individuals who are not diabetics. This has led many in the medical field to determine that this particular protein hormone has properties that can help maintain healthy blood glucose levels. Protein hormone may also have something to do with proper insulin production and assimilation in the body.
Another observation about adiponectin is that this hormone works in tandem with leptin to help regulate body weight. The function of the two hormones combined appears to improve communication to and from the brain, allowing the individual to know when enough food has been consumed. At present it is not known whether this effect can occur only as a result of the combined action, or whether each hormone can independently produce the same result. What is known is that losing excess body weight can help significantly stimulate the production of this hormone.
As part of the hormone’s function, adiponectin has the ability to bind to different receptors. Currently, science has isolated two of these receptors, calling them adiponectin receptors one and two. Each of these receptors appears to focus on different functions in the body, such as helping the body process carbohydrates properly and speeding up or slowing down the body’s metabolism.
While modern science has confirmed that adiponectin is secreted from adipose tissue into the bloodstream and that the hormone has several beneficial effects on the body, there is still much to learn about how this hormone works with other hormones to maintain overall health. . Research is ongoing, with hopes of one day producing synthetic versions of this hormone as a means to help regulate blood sugar levels in diabetics and to help achieve weight loss in the morbidly obese.
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