Serum Leptin Concentrations and 10-Year Weight Gain among Middle-Aged Japanese Men and Women / 日本農村医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between circulating serum leptin concentrations and regulation of body weight longitudinally among Japanese men and women. DESIGN: Ten-year retrospective study. SUBJECTS: A total of 328 Japanese men and women, who at baseline (2000) were 40-65 years of age, were free of hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia. They completed detailed lifestyle questionnaires. MEASUREMENTS Baseline serum leptin concentrations and 10-year weight changes. RESULTS: The average levels of serum leptin were 2.93±1.47ng/ml in men and 5.67±3.00ng/ml in women. Subsequently weight gain was observed among 52% of men and 46% of women. The average gain in weight per year was 1.0±0.8kg in men and 1.3±0.9 kg in women. The observed association between weight gain and leptin concentration was limited to men with body mass index (BMI) of 18.5-25.0kg/m<SUP>2</SUP> in 1990, among whom a significant correlation was observed between log-transformed leptin levels and weight gain (r=0.281, p=0.002). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that elevated serum leptin concentrations among normal weight men may be used as an indicator of both leptin resistance and subsequent weight gain.