Couillard C, Mauriège P, Prud'homme D, Nadeau A, Tremblay A, Bouchard C, Després J P
Lipid Research Center, Laval University Medical Research Center, Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada.
Diabetologia. 1997 Oct;40(10):1178-84. doi: 10.1007/s001250050804.
The cloning of the obese gene and the characterization of its protein product, leptin, has permitted the study of a new hormone potentially involved in the regulation of adipose tissue mass. The present study examined the gender differences in fasting plasma leptin concentration and its relationship to body fatness, adipose tissue distribution and the metabolic profile in samples of 91 men (mean age +/- SD: 37.3 +/- 4.8 years) and 48 women (38.5 +/- 6.8 years). Plasma leptin concentrations were strongly associated with body fat mass measured by underwater weighing [men: r = 0.80, p < 0.0001; women: r = 0.85, p < 0.0001]. In both genders, plasma leptin levels were also strongly correlated with waist girth as well as cross-sectional areas of abdominal subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue measured by computed tomography. Women had, on average, plasma leptin concentrations that were three times higher than men. Furthermore, this gender difference remained significant when comparing men and women matched for similar levels of body fat mass. The associations between plasma leptin and lipoprotein concentrations were dependent of adiposity. In both men and women, elevated fasting plasma leptin levels were associated with higher plasma insulin concentrations, but only in women was the association maintained after correction for fat mass. Thus, results of the present study show that women have higher plasma leptin levels compared to men, independent of the concomitant variation in total body fat mass. Furthermore, our results also suggest that, in women, the association between plasma leptin and insulin concentrations is independent of adiposity, a finding which provides further support to the observation that adipose tissue leptin secretion may be upregulated by insulin.
肥胖基因的克隆及其蛋白产物瘦素的特性，使得对一种可能参与脂肪组织量调节的新激素的研究成为可能。本研究检测了91名男性（平均年龄±标准差：37.3±4.8岁）和48名女性（38.5±6.8岁）样本中空腹血浆瘦素浓度的性别差异，及其与体脂、脂肪组织分布和代谢谱的关系。血浆瘦素浓度与水下称重法测得的体脂量密切相关[男性：r = 0.80，p < 0.0001；女性：r = 0.85，p < 0.0001]。在男女两性中，血浆瘦素水平也与腰围以及通过计算机断层扫描测得的腹部皮下和内脏脂肪组织的横截面积密切相关。女性的血浆瘦素浓度平均比男性高三倍。此外，当比较体脂量相似的男性和女性时，这种性别差异仍然显著。血浆瘦素与脂蛋白浓度之间的关联取决于肥胖程度。在男性和女性中，空腹血浆瘦素水平升高均与较高的血浆胰岛素浓度相关，但只有在女性中，校正脂肪量后这种关联仍然存在。因此，本研究结果表明，女性的血浆瘦素水平高于男性且与总体脂量的伴随变化无关。此外，我们的结果还表明，在女性中，血浆瘦素与胰岛素浓度之间的关联与肥胖程度无关，这一发现为脂肪组织瘦素分泌可能受胰岛素上调的观察结果提供了进一步支持。
