Gender-specific Reference Range for Serum Leptin in Omani Population.

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Metabolic Health
• Population Health

Background:

• Leptin regulates glucose homeostasis and appetite, with levels influenced by obesity and energy status.
• Serum leptin levels exhibit ethnic variations, but reference ranges are unreported for the Arabic population.
• Understanding leptin levels is crucial for metabolic health assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine gender-specific reference ranges for serum leptin in an Arabic cohort.
• To identify cut-off values of serum leptin for various metabolic derangements.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 1198 subjects in the Oman Family Study.
• Employed the percentile method for reference range estimation.
• Applied receiver operating characteristic analysis to determine cut-off points.

Main Results:

• Established a serum leptin reference range of 0.5-90.6 ng/mL, independent of age.
• Observed significantly higher leptin levels in females (4.9-96.3 ng/mL) versus males (0.25-48.8 ng/mL).
• Identified optimal leptin cut-off values between 24.1-28.9 ng/mL for metabolic syndrome, obesity, central obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

Conclusions:

• Successfully established gender-specific serum leptin reference ranges for Arabs.
• Determined an optimal serum leptin cut-off (24.1-28.9 ng/mL) for identifying metabolic derangements with high accuracy.
• Recommended further prospective studies on the relative risk associated with elevated serum leptin.