Szafraniec-Porada Aneta, Porada Dominik, Konopelko Michał, Przybylska Daria, Pucułek Małgorzata. The importance of adiponectin in the human body. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2018;8(9):1493-1500. eISNN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1435901 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/6109 https://pbn.nauka.gov.pl/sedno-webapp/works/879341 The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part b item 1223 (26/01/2017). 1223 Journal of Education, Health and Sport eissn 2391-8306 7 © The Authors 2018; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author (s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial license Share alike. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 02.08.2018. Revised: 18.08.2018. Accepted: 15.09.2018. The importance of adiponectin in the human body Aneta Szafraniec-Porada1, Dominik Porada1, Michał Konopelko2, Daria Przybylska 2 Małgorzata Pucułek3 1 Chair and Department of Endocrinology, Medical University of Lublin 2 Chair and Department of Hygiene, Medical University of Lublin 3 Chair and Department of Human Anatomy, Medical University of Lublin Abstract Adipose tissue produces various types of proteins, including adipocytokines, which is why it should be treated as an endocrine organ. Adiponectin is one of the most important adipokines in the human body. We distinguish three factions of adiponectins: low molecular weight (LMW), middle molecular weight (MMW) and high molecular weight (HMW). The purpose of this article is to attempt to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding adiponectin, in particular its role in the human body. Adiponectin significantly influences the metabolism of carbohydrates by stimulating the activity of AMPK and PPAR-α through the AdiopoR1 receptors, which results in an increase in uptake and oxidation of glucose in cells. The literature has repeatedly demonstrated a negative correlation of serum adiponectin concentrations in relation to the BMI index, insulin and triglyceride levels, HOMA-IR and blood pressure. Decreased adiponectin levels have been demonstrated in such diseases as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease or in patients after a stroke. The significant effect of this adipocytokine on the reduction of inflammation, lipid metabolism and effect on the vascular endothelium is of key importance in the process of atherosclerotic plaque formation. In conclusion, the correct concentration of adiponectin is important for maintaining proper function of the whole organism. It affects numerous metabolic processes, mainly the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. It has antiatherogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. Due to the low concentrations of adiponectin found in patients with chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, there is a need for further research to determine the exact effect of adiponectin on these morbidities. Keywords: adipose tissue, adipocytokines, adiponectin