The Good Guy(s)...

As I've explained in a past post or two, there are great reasons to both have some fat on your body (but not in excess) and consume fat in foods.  Click here (but not yet) for more details and sources of healthy fats.

Continuing our analogy from yesterday...

If Leptin is the "bad guy" then I imagine Adi Pon Ectin (adiponectin) is the "Angel" on your shoulder.  I think of her a bit like a dainty Southern lady who nervously makes sure everything is working as it should.  Adi is married to Leptin and they live in Fatville.  But unlike Leptin, she doesn't work "against" us...she works for us. Adiponectin is a type A planner, watching for signals and cues to "step up" where needed.  As you'll see in a minute, she's also what I would call a hovering Mother-in-Law. 

But before I can really make you understand Adiponectin, I need to tell you about Adi's family members: her son-in-law, Glucose, and her daughter, Insulin.  Glucose and Insulin work together for the same Company called, "Bodies R Us" (excuse my lack of imagination).  

Glucose is the brawn of the company.  He's our numero uno form of energy and Glucose occurs when we consume (hopefully complex) carbohydrates. The body breaks the foods we consume down into usable energy and Glucose sets up a meeting in the bloodstream where he has a lil rendezvous with his wife, Insulin. 

Insulin is like the brains of this family organization.  The cells cannot utilize Glucose without Insulin for she is what balances this maniac out. Together they become the "Bonnie & Clyde" of our bodies...the energy and power source of our cells that help us "go" much like gas makes our car go.

Now, here is where the effects of Insulin matters in relation to weight loss and gain...

When our Glucose levels are high because we've consumed too much carbohydrates/sugars, Insulin sounds the company-wide alarm.  She essentially tells all the other "departments" (aka cells) in the liver, muscles, and fat:

"Hey, it's time to work overtime - we've got extra product on the floor!" 

When these Departments go into overtime, they convert the extra Glucose into a compound called Glycogen, essentially storing the energy for later use.  Too much stored energy = extra body fat.  Glycogen is our "rainy day" fund. 

Now that you've met Bonnie & Clyde, back to our Angel.  Adiponectin, is our mother-in-law hormone (that is produced in our Fat) and helps her daughter, Insulin, by regulating when Glucose gets out of control.  Basically, she helps regulate Glucose metabolism.  Thank you, Adi! When this hormone is really active and busy - mostly in people who are at a healthy body weight - there is a reduced risk of heart attack and better regulation of metabolism. 

Sadly it's been noted that low levels of Adiponectin are found in people who are obese (and who are at increased risk of a heart attack). Source  And since adiponectin also has anti-inflammatory effect in the body, this is one possibility for why people who are overweight mention that they tend to "hurt" more.  Adiponectin doesn't do her job as well when we get too big for our britches.  Literally.  So if you are overweight and suffer from chronic pain, getting to a healthy body weight may increase Adiponectin production and you'll not only look better...you'll truly feel better, too.

The take away? 

1.  Choose more complex carbohydrates and eat less refined, simple (often white) sugar
2. Get rid of your foods with high fructose corn syrup
3. Eat smaller amounts of foods more often so you don't overproduce glucose and cause insulin to signal the storage of "extra". 

Questions?  You know, besides why I'm such a complete nerd?