Exercise Induced Adipokine Changes and the Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

The lack of adequate physical activity and obesity created a worldwide pandemic. Obesity is characterized by the deposition of adipose tissue in various parts of the body; it is now evident that adipose tissue also acts as an endocrine organ capable of secreting many cytokines that are though to be involved in the pathophysiology of obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. Adipokines, or adipose tissue-derived proteins, play a pivotal role in this scenario. Increased secretion of proinflammatory adipokines leads to a chronic inflammatory state that is accompanied by insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. Lifestyle change in terms of increased physical activity and exercise is the best nonpharmacological treatment for obesity since these can reduce insulin resistance, counteract the inflammatory state, and improve the lipid profile. There is growing evidence that exercise exerts its beneficial effects partly through alterations in the adipokine profile; that is, exercise increases secretion of anti-inflammatory adipokines and reduces proinflammatory cytokines. In this paper we briefly describe the pathophysiologic role of four important adipokines (adiponectin, leptin, TNF-α, and IL-6) in the metabolic syndrome and review some of the clinical trials that monitored these adipokines as a clinical outcome before and after exercise.

Chronic stress impacts the cardiovascular system: animal models and clinical outcomes

“…Experimental evidence and anecdotal experiences suggest that stressed people consume more calories-condensed foods such as sweet and fatty foods and reduced amounts of micronutrients (129,249). This, coupled by the reduced rates of metabolism under conditions of stress (172), results in obesity and metabolic disturbances that can jeopardize the health of cardiovascular system in several ways (109,207). A recent report by Bergmann et al (27) that systematically analyzed prospective cohort studies scrutinizing the association between chronic psychological stress and the metabolic syndrome, concluded that psychological stress is a causal factor for development of the metabolic syndrome (27).…”

Adipose Tissue as an Endocrine Organ

“…Plenty of clinical study focused on the relationship between exercise and the plasma (or serum) adiponectin levels and the results are largely dependent on the duration and intensity of the exercise [83][84][85].…”

“…For the patients with obesity or diabetes, plenty of studies showed that the long-term training can decrease the level of TNF-α or/and IL-6 [83,[105][106][107][108], which demonstrate that the beneficial effects of exercise is partly mediated by decreasing the systemic inflammation.…”

Physical activity and health: Shifting focus from modern era to Stone Age life style

“…Mild to chronic exercise have shown to ameliorate both dyslipidemia and systemic inflammation [21]. Physical exercise might benefit obese partly through increased secretion of anti-inflammatory adipokines and decreased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines [22]. It has also been hypothesized that exercise promotes adipocyte oxidative capacity [23].…”