ADIPOQ and Obesity: Furthermore, leptin and adiponectin, the major adipocytokines through which obesity exerts its clinical and metabolic effects, have diametrical pathophysiological actions, whereas leptin increases with the degree of obesity and insulin resistance and in response to hypoxia [15], adiponectin increases with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy [16] and is inversely associated with the degree of obesity and insulin resistance [15, 17].