“What is the connection between leptin and metabolic syndrome?” you may ask, but actually they are connected in many different ways. You see, leptin is a protein hormone which plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure. This includes appetite and metabolism.
Just as people with metabolic disorders may be resistant to the insulin hormone, it seems as though obese may become resistant to leptin as well. In other words, Leptin is the hormone that reduces appetite in our bodies, however, high levels are found in obese people because they have become resistant to its effects. It may also be that some obese people may be flawed in some way that the signal is not receive the feeling of being ‘full’ at all (or as much).
In any case, this ‘leptin resistance’ is at the very least a contributor to the eventual formation of metabolic syndrome and possibly diabetes in some, right? However, some feel that it may simply be the body’s way of adapting to excess body weight. In nature, it is thought, it would bring about an advantage in survival. In any case, there is no question that leptin and metabolic syndrome affect one another.
Leptin and Metabolic Syndrome Studies
The following studies were made in inquiry of the connections between leptin and metabolic syndrome. A full description of the studies and the methods by which they were performed can be found on website of the National Institutes of Public Health. Their findings were as follows:
A study was recently conducted among the Korean adult population on the association of serum leptin and metabolic syndrome. The study consisted of 3,272 Korean men and women between the ages of 30 and 84. It was found that the serum leptin levels increase as the number of components present for metabolic syndrome increased. Subjects who had the highest leptin levels were also found to have a higher risk of metabolic syndrome. These associations between leptin and metabolic syndrome were not affected by the weight status; therefore the reduction of circulating leptin may have protective effects, regardless of weight.
Another study was aimed at the different variables in metabolic syndrome in children. In this study 74 non-obese children and 68 children with non-syndromal obesity were tested. The results of the study showed that leptin played a key underlying role in metabolic syndrome, especially in the obese group.
One such study was also conducted on the connection between leptin and metabolic syndrome in elderly women. The study was conducted on 107 women aged 67-78 years. The study found that leptin was significantly associated with insulin levels, insulin resistance, and cholesterol independent of age, body fat, and fat distribution.
