adiponectin

A hormone secreted by fat tissue that, paradoxically, improves metabolic health: higher levels are associated with better insulin sensitivity, healthier blood lipids, and reduced inflammation. Unlike most fat-derived signals, which rise with obesity and worsen disease, adiponectin falls as fat mass grows, making it a marker of how well adipose tissue is functioning rather than how much of it exists. It enhances the ability of muscle to burn fatty acids and helps the liver respond properly to insulin. Exercise, weight loss, and diets rich in unsaturated fats and fiber tend to raise it, while chronic overnutrition suppresses it. Researchers study it as both a diagnostic indicator and a therapeutic target, since drugs or foods that boost adiponectin signaling could help counter the metabolic damage of obesity.