Differences in leptin production by regional fat mass in postmenopausal women

To investigate the differences in leptin production by regional fat mass, 76 postmenopausal Japanese women were enrolled in this study. Age, height, weight, and body mass index (BMI, wt/ht2) were recorded. Serum leptin levels were measured by RIA. Trunk fat mass, total body fat mass, and percentage of body fat were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). The ratio of trunk to leg fat mass (trunk-leg fat ratio), an index of body fat distribution, was also assessed by DEXA. Relationship of leptin levels with baseline characteristics and anthropometric variables were investigated by Pearson correlation test. Serum leptin levels were positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.683, p < 0.0001), total body fat mass (r = 0.680, p < 0.0001), trunk fat mass (r = 0.632, p < 0.0001), and percentage of body fat (r = 0.624, p < 0.0001). However, no significant correlation was observed between trunk-leg fat ratio and leptin levels (r = 0.181). Age and height were not correlated with leptin levels. Based on these results, we concluded that body fat distribution does not serve as a predictor of leptin levels in postmenopausal women.