ADIPOQ and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: Interestingly, the physiological relationship between these two hormones appear to be dissociated under pathological conditions such as insulin resistance and NAFLD (17) For instance, epidemiological studies in adults showed that lower baseline serum adiponectin (40, 43, 44) and higher baseline serum FGF21 levels (38) are independent predictors of NAFLD development.