Skip to main content

Adiponectin Paradox

Meaning

The Adiponectin Paradox is the counterintuitive clinical observation where, despite adiponectin being a protective, anti-inflammatory adipokine that typically correlates inversely with metabolic risk, its circulating levels are found to be paradoxically elevated in certain severe disease states, such as advanced heart failure or end-stage renal disease. This finding contradicts the expected benefit of high adiponectin levels seen in metabolically healthy individuals, suggesting a state of biological ineffectiveness or compensatory response. This phenomenon highlights the complexity of adipokine signaling in systemic pathology.