Research

Hormonal

Fasting plasma adropin concentrations are positively correlated with fat consumption (total and saturated) and negatively correlated with carbohydrate intake as a percentage of total energy in human females.

This research identifies a strong statistical link between higher fasting levels of the hormone adropin and a preference for high-fat diets in lean women. It does not prove that high fat intake causes high adropin, or vice versa. For women, this suggests a biological underpinning to fat preference that may be distinct from men. It does not currently offer a direct intervention protocol, but highlights adropin as a potential biomarker for dietary macronutrient selection.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Plasma adropin concentrations correlate with fat consumption in women. Pre-FS adropin correlated positively with fat intake (total fat, r 5 0.867, P < 0.05; saturated fat, r 5 0.959, P < 0.01) and negatively with carbohydrate intake (r 5 -0.894, P < 0.05) as a percent total energy.
Marie‐Pierre St‐Onge et al. · Obesity · 2013

Why this rating

The study uses a rigorous randomized crossover design with controlled inpatient conditions, but the sample size is small (n=12 women) and the findings are correlational, not causal.

Source

Fasting plasma adropin concentrations correlate with fat consumption in human females

Marie‐Pierre St‐Onge et al. · Obesity · 2013

DOI 10.1002/oby.20631

crossover · n=23Cited 56×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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