Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Experimental Approach to Examine Leptin Signaling in the Carotid Bodies and its Effects on Control of Breathing
Published on: October 25, 2019
Anorexia nervosa, osteoporosis and circulating leptin: the missing link
I Legroux-Gérot1, J Vignau, E Biver
1Department of Rheumatology, University of Lille II, 59037, Lille Cédex, France. i-legroux@chru-lille.fr
Unlabelled:
Methods: Leptin levels were measured in 103 consecutive women with anorexia nervosa. Results: Spine BMD and Z-score values were found to be significantly lower in the low tertile compared with the highest tertile. Duration of amenorrhea and leptin level accounted for 27% of the variance in lumbar spine BMD.
Introduction:
The purpose of this study was to assess leptin levels and other biological variables in a population of anorexia nervosa patients.
Methods:
Leptin levels were measured consecutively in 103 women with anorexia nervosa (AN) with a mean age of 24.9 +/- 7.4 years. Osteodensitometry was also performed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
Results:
Spine bone mineral density (BMD) and Z-score values were found to be significantly lower in the low tertile compared with the highest tertile. Duration of amenorrhea and leptin level accounted for 27% of the variance in lumbar spine BMD. The mean leptin level was 3.9 +/- 4.6 ng/mL (normal values, 3.5-11 ng/mL). The distribution of leptin values was not a Gaussian distribution, and a log-transformed was therefore performed. A significant correlation was found between leptin level and spinal BMD (r = 0.3; p = 0.002); significant correlations were observed for both femoral neck and total hip BMDs. When leptin level values were divided into tertiles, spine BMD and Z-score values were found to be significantly lower in the lower tertile (p = 0.04 and p = 0.02) compared with the highest tertile. For femoral neck BMDs, the T-score was slightly lower between low and high tertile, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.07). When multivariate analyses were performed, two independent factors which could possibly account for the variance in spinal BMDs were found. Duration of amenorrhea and leptin level accounted for 27% of the variance (p < 0.0001).
Conclusion:
The mechanisms underlying bone loss in AN patients remain unclear and complex, involving hypoestrogenia as well as nutritional factors such as insulin-like growth factor and leptin.
Related Concept Videos
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Regulation of Food Intake
Obesity
Bulimia Nervosa
Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Metabolic States of the Body: Fasting and Starvation