Objective: To evaluate the relationship between waist circumference, as a measure of central fat distribution, and lung ventilation function in both sexes among different weight categories in comparison with body mass index (BMI). Subjects and Methods: One hundred healthy adults from both sexes were volunteered in this observational-cross-sectional study (53 males aged 19-69 years and 47 females aged 19-51 years). Subjects were recruited from Mosul Medical College students, teaching as well as administration staff. After collecting personal and health information necessary for the study, all subjects underwent anthropometric measurements (height, weight, and waist circumference) before spirometry test using computerized spirometer. The study was conducted in the Department of Medical Physiology-Mosul Medical College. Results: All spirometric data were within 80-120% of the normal predicted values, thus excluding the possibility of any asymptomatic airway disease. A consistent negative correlation between, both waist circumference and BMI, with FVC and FEV1 were clearly observed in both sexes. Unlike BMI, waist circumference revealed stronger and significant negative correlation with lung function especially in male subjects. The significant negative correlation between waist circumference and FVC and FEV1 was more evident in overweight and obese subjects. Conclusion: Waist circumference, as a measure of body fat distribution, seems more reliable predictor of poor lung function, secondary to overweight and obesity, than BMI. This might be attributed to the fact that BMI relies only on body weight and height without consideration to the distribution of body fat, muscle and bone mass which might possess a more significant role.

Background: Leptin is a hormone secreted by adipocytes , it is aprotein encoded by the ob gene. Mutations in the ob gene in animals cause obesity , leptin affects nutritional homeostasis and reproductive function. Objectives : a followup study was done to investigate serum leptin levels in 30 fertile healthy normal weight women with regular menstrual cycle aged (8-45) years in folicular and luteal phase of menstrual cycle. Methods: Fasting blood samples were obtained from normal weight fertile women(BMI 19.5-24.9 Kg/m 2) to measurement serum concentrations of leptin, which measured by using(ELISA) in follicular phase (2 nd day of menstriual cycle) then ask the women to come back and give another blood sample in 21 st-23 nd day of the cycle to measure serum progesterone and leptin in luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Results: The mean age ± SD of the normal fertile women was (29.1± 8.4) years, the mean weight value ±SD was (53±5)kg and the mean height value±SD was(158 ± 6.2) cm and the mean BMI±SD was (21.2± 1.3). Leptin was higher in luteal phase than follicular phase in normal weight fertile women ,this was statistically significant (p≤ 0.000), the mean ± SD of progesterone hormone was (7.8 ± 3.2) in day 21-23 of the cycle this was the indicator for ovulation and starting of luteal phase. Conclusion: A great variation in serum leptin levels throughout the menstrual cycles with lower levels in the follicular rather than luteal phase in normal weight fertile women is found.

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