ADIPOQ and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: More recently, Brusik et al. investigated serum levels and adipose tissue expression of leptin and adiponectin in patients with COPD and reported an association between decreased serum and tissue leptin levels, and decreased serum adiponectin and increased REE adjusted for body weight in underweight patients.160 In adipose tissue, two cell types can be distinguished: white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT).