Leptin and soluble leptin receptor levels in plasma and risk of type 2 diabetes in U.S. women: a prospective study.
OBJECTIVE
We prospectively examined plasma levels of leptin and soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R), as well as their interactions with other diabetes risk factors, in relation to type 2 diabetes to elucidate the complex relation between these two biomarkers and diabetes risk.


METHODS
Of 32,826 Nurses' Health Study participants who provided blood samples during 1989-1990, 1,054 incident case subjects of type 2 diabetes were identified and confirmed during 1990-2004 and 1,254 matched control subjects were selected. Plasma leptin and sOB-R levels were measured among these participants.


RESULTS
After multivariate adjustment for BMI, lifestyle practices, and dietary factors, sOB-R levels were significantly associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. In comparison with women in the lowest quintile, the ORs (95% CI) of developing type 2 diabetes were 0.73 (0.55-0.96), 0.51 (0.38-0.68), 0.42 (0.31-0.57), and 0.39 (0.28-0.54; P for trend < 0.0001) for women in the second to fifth quintiles of sOB-R levels, respectively. In contrast, plasma leptin levels were not significantly associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes: The OR (95% CI) was 0.82 (0.62-1.10; P for trend = 0.46) comparing the highest with the lowest quintile of leptin levels. sOB-R levels were consistently associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes at various levels of leptin or high-molecular-weight adiponectin.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest a strong inverse association between plasma sOB-R levels and risk of type 2 diabetes, independent of BMI, leptin, and adiponectin levels.
Sun
Qi
Q
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. qisun@hsph.harvard.edu
van Dam
Rob M
RM
Meigs
James B
JB
Franco
Oscar H
OH
Mantzoros
Christos S
CS
Hu
Frank B
FB
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D054411:Receptors, Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012995:Solubility; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
C499918:ADIPOQ protein, human; D052242:Adiponectin; C515448:LEPR protein, human; D020738:Leptin; D054411:Receptors, Leptin