Abstract
The current childhood obesity epidemic represents a particular challenge for public
health. Understanding of the etiological mechanisms of obesity remains integral in
treating this complex disorder. In recent years, studies have elucidated the influence
of hormones secreted by adipose tissue named adipokines. Adiponectin is a adipokine
that exhibits important anti-inflammatory, insulin-sensitizing and anti-atherogenic
properties and it is strongly associated to obesity development. It is well known
that adiponectin levels decrease with obesity. Furthermore, studies show that some
single nucleotide polymorphisms in the gene encoding adiponectin, ADIPOQ, may influence the expression of this protein. The objective of this paper is to
provide an up-to-date review of ADIPOQ polymorphisms in the context of childhood obesity.
Keywords
Adiponectin - adipokines - childhood obesity - polymorphisms
