Relationships between serum leptin level and regional bone mineral density, bone metabolic markers in healthy women.
BACKGROUND
Leptin might affect bone metabolism. This study was performed to investigate the relationship of leptin to bone metabolism in detail in premenopausal and postmenopausal healthy women.


METHODS
The relationships between serum leptin level and bone mineral density of several regional sites of the body as well as whole body, along with bone metabolic markers, were examined in 47 premenopausal and 29 postmenopausal healthy women.


RESULTS
Serum leptin level was weakly correlated with bone mineral density of pelvis (Pearson's correlation coefficient r=0.39, p<0.05) and left leg (r=0.41, p<0.01) in the premenopausal women, although the correlation decreased after adjustment for BMI. There was no significant relationship between serum leptin level and whole body bone mineral density both in the premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Serum leptin level was correlated with serum alkaline phosphatase (r=0.56, p<0.001) and urinary deoxypyridinoline/cr (r=-0.32, p<0.05) by Pearson's correlation test in the premenopausal women; the relationships were maintained even after adjustment for BMI (r=0.50 and -0.48, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Leptin is not a key regulator of bone metabolism, although it may have some effects on bone metabolic markers and BMD regionally in premenopausal women.
Iwamoto
I
I
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Japan.
Douchi
T
T
Kosha
S
S
Murakami
M
M
Fujino
T
T
Nagata
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause
D015415:Biomarkers; D020738:Leptin