1. Circulating leptin is associated with oxidized LDL in postmenopausal women
- Author
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Porreca, Ettore, Febbo, Concetta Di, Moretta, Valeria, Angelini, Antonio, Guglielmi, Maria Domenica, Nisio, Marcello Di, and Cuccurullo, Franco
- Subjects
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HORMONES , *PATHOLOGY , *REGRESSION analysis , *NUTRITION disorders - Abstract
Recently, leptin has been suggested as a possible cause of atherosclerotic disease. In the present study, we have investigated in postmenopausal women (
n=60 ; age:52±13 ) the relationship between circulating levels of leptin, oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL) and other biochemical and anthropometric variables of atherosclerotic risk. In addition, we have evaluated soluble thrombomodulin (sTM) as a marker of endothelial damage. An additional study was conducted in a subgroup of obese subjects to determine the short-term effects of weight loss on selected variables. Ox-LDL showed a positive correlation with leptin circulating levels (r=0.65 ,P<0.0001 ). A significant association was also found between Ox-LDL and body mass index (r=0.69 ,P<0.0001 ), waist-to-hip ratio (r=0.50 ,P<0.0001 ), insulin levels (r=0.65 ,P<0.0001 ), HOMA index (r=0.55 ,P<0.0001 ) and sTM (r=0.74 ,P<0.0001 ) levels. After multivariate regression analysis leptin was still related to Ox-LDL levels (P=0.007 ). In obese women who completed the program of weight reduction, leptin changes persisted as a significant predictor of plasma changes in Ox-LDL levels. These findings suggested a novel link between leptin and Ox-LDL, possibly involved in atherosclerotic disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]- Published
- 2004
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