Estrogen and exercise may be related to body fat distribution and leptin in young women.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of estrogen deficiency and exercise on body composition and leptin in young women.


METHODS
Cross-sectional clinical study.


METHODS
Volunteers in an academic research environment.


METHODS
Three age- and body mass index-matched groups: normal-weight women with exercise-associated amenorrhea, regularly menstruating exercising control women, and regularly menstruating normally active control women.


METHODS
Collection of blood samples and measurement of body fat and regional fat distribution by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.


METHODS
Central fat accumulation (i.e., ratio of trunk to extremity fat) and serum concentrations of E(2) and leptin.


RESULTS
In both regularly menstruating control groups, but not in the amenorrheic women, there was a negative correlation between the serum E(2) concentrations and the trunk-to-extremity fat ratio (r = -0.4), independent of age, exercise, body fat, and serum T concentrations. In all women, E(2) concentrations were positively and exercise inversely correlated to leptin concentrations, independent of body fat.


CONCLUSIONS
Estradiol level is inversely associated with central fat accumulation only in women with regular menstrual cycles. In all young premenopausal subjects, estrogen secretion influences leptin concentrations independently of body fat.
Puder
Jardena J
JJ
Department of Medicine, University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA. puderj@uhbs.ch
Monaco
Sara E
SE
Sen Gupta
Surupa
S
Wang
Jack
J
Ferin
Michel
M
Warren
Michelle P
MP
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000568:Amenorrhea / Q000378:metabolism*; D001823:Body Composition; D004967:Estrogens / Q000097:blood*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000378:metabolism*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D004967:Estrogens; D020738:Leptin