Abstract

BACKGROUND
Leptin is mainly secreted from adipose tissue, and it is a crucial factor for metabolic syndrome that is characterized by obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia. We measured the serum leptin concentrations and compared them with the body fat distribution and metabolic risk factors in premenopausal normal weight and obese women. METHODS: 231 premenopausal obese women participated in this study. The subjects were grouped based on their body mass index(BMI). The number of normal weight group women(BMI<25kg/m2) and the number of obese group women(BMI> or = 25kg/m2) were 90 and 141, respectively. We measured the plasma leptin concentration and such metabolic risk factors as fasting glucose, insulin, triglyceride(TG), systolic blood pressure(SBP) and diastolic blood pressure(DBP). The subcutaneous adipose tissue area(SAT) and the visceral adipose tissue area(VAT) were determined by computed tomography. The BMI, waist to hip ratio(WHR) and homeostasis model assessment(HOMA-IR) were calculated. RESULTS: In the obese group, the leptin levels were positively correlated with the BMI and SAT as well as with such metabolic risk factors as fasting serum glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, TG, SBP and DBP. Although leptin levels were positively correlated with BMI and SAT in the normal weight group, they were not correlated with the metabolic risk factors. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that the leptin levels in the normal weight group were not associated with the metabolic risk factors. Therefore, the degree of obesity must be considered before leptin can be used as a predictor for metabolic syndrome including diabetes and coronary heart disease

• Keywords: Leptin;Obesity;Metabolic syndrome;Body mass index;