Left ventricle relative wall thickness and plasma leptin levels: baseline relationships and effects of 4 months of walking training in healthy overweight postmenopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
Whether leptin has positive or negative influences on cardiac structure and function in healthy sedentary overweight postmenopausal women is unknown. We investigated the role of leptin in cardiac health and whether aerobic fitness enhancement influences any relationships revealed between leptin and echocardiographic measurements.


METHODS
Thirty-nine sedentary postmenopausal women were enrolled after an initial screening. The women underwent blood sampling for hormone levels, anthropometric and echocardiographic measurements, dietary habits investigation, and fitness testing, both before and after 4 months of walking training.


RESULTS
After the intervention, the women who had an adherence to training of 75% or higher showed significantly reduced percentage fat mass (P = 0.006) and plasma leptin levels (P < 0.001), whereas their maximum oxygen consumption increased significantly (P < 0.001). The women showed a significant reduction in left ventricle relative wall thickness (P = 0.039) and significant increases in both left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (P = 0.040) and left ventricular mass index (P = 0.043). At baseline, a negative correlation was seen between plasma leptin levels and left ventricle relative wall thickness (r = -0.553; P = 0.009). Further negative correlations were seen for the changes in left ventricle relative wall thickness with leptin levels (r = -0.456; P = 0.038) and with tricipital skinfold (r = -0.436; P = 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
In healthy overweight sedentary postmenopausal women with low fitness level, high plasma leptin levels seem to have a protective role against left ventricle relative wall thickness hypertrophy and to participate in its remodeling after 4 months of aerobic training.
Di Blasio
Andrea
A
Department of Human Movement Science, University Centre of Sports Medicine, Chieti-Pescara, Italy. andiblasio@gmail.com
Di Donato
Francesco
F
De Stefano
Angela
A
Gallina
Sabina
S
Granieri
Monica
M
Napolitano
Giorgio
G
Petrella
Vittorio
V
Riccardi
Irene
I
Santarelli
Francesco
F
Valentini
Pasquale
P
Ripari
Patrizio
P
D015992:Body Mass Index; D004452:Echocardiography; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium; D050177:Overweight; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*
D020738:Leptin