TY - JOUR
T1 - Serum leptin concentration, obesity, and insulin resistance in Western Samoans
T2 - Cross sectional study
AU - Zimmet, Paul
AU - Hodge, Allison
AU - Nicolson, Margery
AU - Staten, Myrlene
AU - De Courten, Maximilian
AU - Moore, Jason
AU - Morawiecki, Andrew
AU - Lubina, John
AU - Collier, Gregory
AU - Alberti, George
AU - Dowse, Gary
PY - 1996
Y1 - 1996
N2 - Objective - To measure serum leptin concentrations in the Polynesian population of Western Samoa and to examine epidemiological associations of leptin with anthropometric, demographic, behavioural, and metabolic factors in this population with a high prevalence of obesity and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Design - Cross sectional study, leptin concentration being measured in a subgroup of a population based sample. Subjects - 240 Polynesian men and women aged 28-74 years were selected to cover the full range of age, body mass index, and glucose tolerance. Main outcome measurements - Serum leptin, insulin, and glucose concentrations; anthropometric measures; physical activity; and area of residence. Results - Leptin concentrations were correlated with body mass index (r = 0.80 in men, 0.79 in women) and waist circumference (r = 0.82 in men, 0.78 in women) but less so with waist to hip ratio. At any body mass index, leptin concentration was higher in women than men (geometric mean adjusted for body mass index 15.3 v 3.6 pg/l, P < 0.001). Leptin concentration also correlated with fasting insulin concentration (r = 0.63 in men, 0.64 in women) and insulin concentration 2 hours after a glucose load (r = 0.58 in men, 0.52 in women). These associations remained significant after controlling for body mass index; effects of physical activity and of rural or urban living on leptin concentration were eliminated after adjusting for obesity, except values remained high in urban men. 78% of variance in leptin was explained by a model including fasting insulin concentration, sex, body mass index, and a body mass index by sex interaction term. Similar results were obtained if waist circumference replaced body mass index. Conclusions - The strong relation of leptin with obesity is consistent with leptin production being proportional to mass of adipose tissue. The relation with insulin independent of body mass index suggests a possible role for leptin in insulin resistance or hyperinsulinaemia.
AB - Objective - To measure serum leptin concentrations in the Polynesian population of Western Samoa and to examine epidemiological associations of leptin with anthropometric, demographic, behavioural, and metabolic factors in this population with a high prevalence of obesity and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Design - Cross sectional study, leptin concentration being measured in a subgroup of a population based sample. Subjects - 240 Polynesian men and women aged 28-74 years were selected to cover the full range of age, body mass index, and glucose tolerance. Main outcome measurements - Serum leptin, insulin, and glucose concentrations; anthropometric measures; physical activity; and area of residence. Results - Leptin concentrations were correlated with body mass index (r = 0.80 in men, 0.79 in women) and waist circumference (r = 0.82 in men, 0.78 in women) but less so with waist to hip ratio. At any body mass index, leptin concentration was higher in women than men (geometric mean adjusted for body mass index 15.3 v 3.6 pg/l, P < 0.001). Leptin concentration also correlated with fasting insulin concentration (r = 0.63 in men, 0.64 in women) and insulin concentration 2 hours after a glucose load (r = 0.58 in men, 0.52 in women). These associations remained significant after controlling for body mass index; effects of physical activity and of rural or urban living on leptin concentration were eliminated after adjusting for obesity, except values remained high in urban men. 78% of variance in leptin was explained by a model including fasting insulin concentration, sex, body mass index, and a body mass index by sex interaction term. Similar results were obtained if waist circumference replaced body mass index. Conclusions - The strong relation of leptin with obesity is consistent with leptin production being proportional to mass of adipose tissue. The relation with insulin independent of body mass index suggests a possible role for leptin in insulin resistance or hyperinsulinaemia.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=10544220841&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/bmj.313.7063.965
DO - 10.1136/bmj.313.7063.965
M3 - Article
C2 - 8892415
AN - SCOPUS:10544220841
SN - 0959-8138
VL - 313
SP - 965
EP - 969
JO - British Medical Journal
JF - British Medical Journal
IS - 7063
ER -