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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Semi-Automated Isolation of the Stromal Vascular Fraction from Murine White Adipose Tissue Using a Tissue Dissociator

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Published on: May 19, 2023

Adiponectin: saving the starved and the overfed.

¹Wallenberg Laboratory for Cardiovascular Research, Institute of Internal Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg University, Gothenburg, Sweden. behre@wlab.gu.se

Medical Hypotheses

|May 19, 2007

Summary

Adiponectin may protect against metabolic syndrome and related diseases by aiding survival during starvation. This hypothesis suggests adiponectin

Area of Science:

Metabolic research
Evolutionary biology
Endocrinology

Background:

Increasing incidence of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases in Western populations.
Adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived protein, is associated with protective roles against these conditions.
The evolutionary purpose of adiponectin remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To hypothesize that the adiponectin system evolved as a survival mechanism against starvation.
To explore the potential role of adiponectin in mediating protection from 'welfare-related diseases'.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on adiponectin, metabolic syndrome, and starvation.
Comparative analysis of adiponectin levels in conditions of malnourishment and catabolism.

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Published on: May 19, 2023

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Main Results:

Elevated adiponectin levels are observed in conditions characterized by catabolism, such as starvation, cardiac/renal failure, type 1 diabetes, and anorexia.
These conditions share similarities with historical survival challenges.

Conclusions:

The adiponectin system may have evolved primarily to facilitate survival during periods of malnourishment.
This evolutionary perspective offers a novel explanation for adiponectin's role in metabolic health and disease.