Childhood obesity is increasing alarmingly, and a strong association with
chronic diseases has been established. Specific
adipokines are released from the adipose tissue and relate with
chronic diseases even in the pediatric population.
Adiponectin levels are lower in
obesity and increase with decreasing
body weight. A few pediatric studies examining a possible relationship between
resistin and
obesity do not provide a clear picture. Most studies agree that
visfatin levels appear elevated in
childhood obesity. Exercise seems to increase
adiponectin levels whereas
resistin levels are reduced. The lack of data on the effects of acute and chronic exercise on
visfatin levels precludes us from making safe conclusions as to what the effects of exercise (acute or chronic) would be on
visfatin levels in children. Clearly, exercise has an impact on the adipose tissue and the release of
adiponectin,
resistin, and
visfatin. However, other factors affect the secretion rate of these
adipokines from the adipose tissue; these factors should also be taken into consideration when examining the effects of exercise on
adipokines. Gender, age, body composition, physical activity levels, mode and intensity of exercise are some of the factors that should be looked into in future studies.