Leptin and insulin responses to a four-day energy-deficient diet in men with different weight history.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the leptin responses to a 4-day energy-restricted diet in men with different weight history; high retrospective weight gain was expected to be associated with a small decline in leptin.


METHODS
Changes in fasting leptin and insulin were measured during a 4-day controlled intervention, in which men with high retrospective weight gain and men who had stable weight consumed 35% of their estimated energy needs.


METHODS
A total of 44 healthy men (age: 31-52 y, BMI: 22.7-39.8 kg/m(2)) were recruited from a cohort study: 22 men who had gained weight (weight change >1 kg/y) and 22 men whose weight had remained stable (weight change +/-0.3 kg/y) between the first (1987-1991) and the second measurement (1993-1997) of the cohort study. The intervention study was carried out in 2001.


RESULTS
After intervention, changes in fasting leptin levels were similar for both groups of retrospective weight gain: -2.2 microlU/ml (95% CI: -2.8; -1.7) and -2.4 microlU/ml (95% CI: -3.2; -1.7) respectively (P=0.69). Proportional changes in fasting leptin levels were different: -43.3% (95% CI: -47.8; -38.4) in the participants whose weight had remained stable (n=22) and -35.2% (95% CI: -42.4; -27.1) in those who had gained weight (n=22)(P<0.05). Analyses in a subgroup of men (n=18), in which the contrast in weight history was more pronounced than in the total group, did not show this difference. A higher proportional decrease in insulin levels was seen in men whose weight remained stable than in those who had gained weight: -35.4% (95% CI: -46.9; -21.3) and -12.8% (95% CI: -28.1; 5.7), respectively. The proportional decrease in leptin was positively associated with the proportional decrease in insulin (r=0.52; P<0.05). The decrease in leptin was positively associated with preintervention body weight (r=0.36; P<0.05), BMI (r=0.44; P<0.05), and waist-circumference (r=0.46; P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Although we found that the 4-day energy restriction had a smaller effect on the decrease in leptin in men with retrospective weight gain, our study does not show convincing evidence that men who gained weight are less leptin responsive to changes in energy balance than those who were weight stable.
Mars
M
M
Division of Human Nutrition and Epidemiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands. Monica.Mars@wur.nl
de Graaf
C
C
van Rossum
C T M
CT
de Groot
C P G M
CP
Seidell
J C
JC
Kok
F J
FJ
D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005215:Fasting / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D020738:Leptin / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D020738:Leptin