Research

Hormonal

Genetically lower serum adiponectin levels cause increased insulin resistance, as evidenced by Mendelian randomization analysis of the ADIPOQ rs266729 polymorphism.

This study provides genetic evidence that low levels of the hormone adiponectin contribute directly to insulin resistance. While you cannot directly 'dose' adiponectin like a drug, this highlights the importance of lifestyle factors known to support healthy adiponectin levels, such as maintaining a healthy body weight and engaging in regular physical activity, as these may help mitigate insulin resistance through this hormonal pathway.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Our findings suggest a possible causal relation between a low serum adiponectin level and a higher level of insulin resistance.
Andrew Mente et al. · PLoS ONE · 2013

Why this rating

Mendelian randomization provides strong causal inference, though the study sample size (N=1,157) is modest for detecting subtle genetic interactions.

Source

Causal Relationship between Adiponectin and Metabolic Traits: A Mendelian Randomization Study in a Multiethnic Population

Andrew Mente et al. · PLoS ONE · 2013

DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0066808

cross_sectional · n=1157Cited 64×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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