Serum leptin, adiponectin and ghrelin concentrations in post-menopausal women: Is there an association with bone...

Adipokines and ghrelin exert well-documented effects on energy expenditure and glucose metabolism. Experimental data also support a role in bone metabolism, although data from clinical studies are conflicting. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association of serum concentrations of leptin, adiponectin and ghrelin with bone mineral density (BMD) in post-menopausal women.

BMD in lumbar spine and femoral neck, and circulating leptin, adiponectin and ghrelin concentrations were measured in 110 healthy post-menopausal women. Patients with secondary causes of osteoporosis were excluded.

Osteoporosis was diagnosed in 30 (27%) women and osteopenia in 54 (49%). Serum leptin concentrations were positively correlated with both lumbar spine (r=0.343, p<0.01) and femoral neck BMD (r=0.370, p<0.01). Adiponectin concentrations were negatively associated with BMD at both sites (r=-0.321, p<0.01 and r=-0.448, p<0.01 respectively). No significant correlation between ghrelin concentrations and BMD was found. Osteoporotic women had lower body weight, body mass index (BMI) and leptin concentrations, but higher adiponectin concentrations compared with non-osteoporotic women. In multivariate stepwise regression analysis, the association of adiponectin concentrations with BMD remained significant only for femoral neck, after adjustment for body weight or BMI.

An inverse association between adiponectin and femoral neck BMD was found in post-menopausal women, independently of body weight. The positive association between leptin and BMD was dependent on body weight, whereas no effect of ghrelin on BMD was evident.