Plasma levels of leptin and ghrelin and their correlation with BMI, and circulating lipids and glucose in obese Tunisian women

Abstract

Background: A National Survey on the Effect of Nutrition conducted in 1996-1997 showed a 14% overall prevalence of obesity in Tunisia with a female predominance. Leptin and ghrelin play crucial roles in regulating body weight and energy balance. Leptin, an anorectic hormone, and ghrelin, an orexigenic hormone, appear to interact with glucose and lipid metabolism. Objectives: To determine the circulating levels of ghrelin and leptin in obese Tunisian women and to investigate the correlations of these hormones with body mass index (BMI), and circulating lipids and glucose. Methods: Forty obese women were recruited from patients in the "C" Unit of the National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology. Twenty normal women were recruited as controls. Plasma levels of the studied variables were measured in patients from both groups and findings were analyzed. Results: Circulating levels of leptin were significantly higher, while high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and ghrelin levels were significantly lower in the obese women. In the obese women, significant positive correlations were found between circulating levels of leptin and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, BMI, and glucose; and ghrelin and HDL-cholesterol. Significant negative correlations were found between circulating levels of leptin and HDL-cholesterol and ghrelin; and ghrelin and leptin, LDL-cholesterol, BMI, and glucose. Multivariate analysis revealed that ghrelin was significantly associated with HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and blood glucose. Conclusions: The significant negative correlation between leptin and ghrelin suggests that these two hormones may be antagonistic. Increased levels of ghrelin are correlated with decreased circulating levels of HDL-cholesterol and increased levels of LDL-cholesterol.

Evaluation of Serum Leptin Levels and Growth in Patients withβ-Thalassaemia Major

“…Androgens are thought to provoke a reduction in leptin production, which may explain the low levels of serum leptin observed in male individuals [ 27 ]. However, the difference in the serum leptin concentrations in both sexes also occurred during prepubertal age, implying that factors other than sex steroid hormones (e.g., fat mass in the body and energy expenditure) may cause a fluctuation in serum leptin concentrations [ 28 , 29 ].…”

Determinants of Circulating Soluble Leptin Receptor and Free Leptin Index in Indonesian Pre-Pubertal Obese Male Children: A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Study

“…A plausible explanation is the difference in the characteristics the study participants. In other studies that reported a significant relationship between leptin and lipid profiles, the participants were female obese [39] adults with hyperlipidemia [37,38], healthy school-aged children [8], and junior high school children without specific inclusion criteria [40]. Meanwhile, our study participants were pre-pubertal obese male children.…”

Differences in gastrointestinal hormones and appetite ratings between individuals with and without obesity—A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Twenty‐four articles compared basal active ghrelin between individuals with obesity and controls. Fifteen studies reported higher basal active ghrelin concentrations in controls, 16,26–39 whereas seven articles found no differences between groups, 40–46 and two reported higher concentrations in individuals with obesity 43,47 …”

“…Twenty-four articles compared basal active ghrelin between individuals with obesity and controls. Fifteen studies reported higher basal active ghrelin concentrations in controls, 16,[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] whereas seven articles found no differences between groups, [40][41][42][43][44][45][46] and two reported higher concentrations in individuals with obesity. 43,47 Basal total ghrelin Fifty-one articles compared basal total ghrelin between individuals with obesity and controls.…”