Leptin predicts the development of diabetes in Mauritian men, but not women: a population–based study

Abstract

Objective: To determine if levels of the adipocyte-derived hormone, leptin, predict the development of type 2 diabetes. Methods: Population-based surveys were undertaken in the multiethnic nation of Mauritius in 1987Mauritius in , 1992Mauritius in and 1998. Questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, and a 2-h 75-g oral glucose tolerance test were included. A cohort of 2330 participants who were free of diabetes, aged 25-79 years in 1987, and who were followed-up in 1992 and 1998 was studied. Serum leptin was measured in baseline samples. Glucose tolerance was classified according to WHO (World Health Organization) 1999 criteria. Results: In total, 456 subjects developed diabetes over 11 years with similar incidences in all ethnic groups (P ¼ 0.2). Baseline leptin correlated positively with anthropometric measurements, fasting and postload insulin and homeostasis model assessment indices (all Po0.001), and inversely with subsequent weight increase. Participants with incident diabetes had higher serum levels of leptin at baseline than those remaining nondiabetic (Po0.001). After adjustment for confounders, high leptin levels and high leptin/body mass index ratio were independently associated with incident diabetes over 11 years in men (odds ratio for top versus bottom quartile of leptin 2.18; 95% CI: 1.09-4.35), but not in women. Conclusion: We conclude that high leptin levels are associated with the future development of diabetes, and the association is independent of other factors in men, but not in women.

Effects of the traditional Mediterranean diet on adiponectin and leptin concentrations in men and premenopausal women: do sex differences exist?

“…Adiponectin is known as having anti-inflammatory, antiatherogenic and insulin-sensitizing properties 1 and it has been previously demonstrated that a low concentration of this hormone is an independent predictor of the metabolic syndrome 2 , coronary heart disease 3 and type 2 diabetes 4 . In the case of leptin, mixed results have been obtained, some studies observed that a high leptin concentration is a predictor of coronary events and type 2 diabetes independently of adiposity 5,6 while others showed that the association between leptin concentrations and these major chronic diseases is largely explained by concomitant variations in body weight or BMI 7,8 . It has been recently suggested that the leptin-to-adiponectin ratio could be a better marker of cardiometabolic alterations and insulin resistance than adiponectin or leptin alone 9,10 .…”

“…Moreover, the fullycontrolled nature of the nutritional phase permitted to document sex differences in adipocytokine responses to the MedDiet with a maximum of control over confounding variables. In addition, since previous studies have suggested that associations between these adipocytokines and cardiovascular risk factors may be sex-specific 5,6,12,13 , the inclusion of both men and premenopausal women allowed us to document for the first time sex-related differences in these associations in response to the MedDiet. On the other hand, one limitation of the present study is the absence of a control diet, which limits the conclusions on true treatment effects.…”

“…Moreover, some previous studies have found sex-related differences in the link between these adipose tissuederived hormones and the development of type 2 diabetes. In fact, the association between leptin concentrations and type 2 diabetes has been shown to be stronger in men than in women 5,6 while adiponectin concentrations would be more closely associated with type 2 diabetes in women than in men 12 . Sex-related differences have also been found in the relationship between blood concentrations of these adipocytokines and markers of cardiovascular risk 11,13 .…”

The relationship between adipokines and the onset of type 2 diabetes in middle-aged men: The PRIME study

“…High levels of leptin have been shown to be independently associated with diabetes in some [8][9][10][11] but not all studies [7,[12][13][14][15]18]. Of these studies, only two were UK population based studies [7,10].…”

“…The evidence regarding the association between leptin and type 2 diabetes risk is conflicting, with some studies showing positive associations [6][7][8][9][10][11] and others showing no association [12][13][14][15]. Similarly, the association between adiponectin and type 2 diabetes risk…”