Association of leptin with insulin resistance, body composition, and lipid parameters in postmenopausal women and men in type 2 diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of leptin with insulin resistance, body composition, and lipid parameters in postmenopausal women and men with type 2 diabetes mellitus T2DM.

METHODS: This study was conducted in 158 patients 87 postmenopausal women and 71 men with T2DM, and 99 healthy controls 52 postmenopausal women and 47 men. Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients were selected consecutively from the outpatient Endocrinology Service of Cumhuriyet University Hospital, Sivas, Turkey from April 2002 to March 2005. We collected demographic, leptin, insulin resistance, and lipid and body composition parameters.

RESULTS: Serum leptin levels of females were significantly higher than those of men in both T2DM, and healthy participants. The basal metabolic rate, fat free mass, and total body water of males, were lower than those of females. In both T2DM and healthy participants, leptin was positively correlated with insulin resistance and body composition parameters in both gender. Serum leptin levels of females were higher compared with males in the same BMI, independent of T2DM.

CONCLUSION: Leptin was associated with insulin, insulin resistance, and body composition parameters body mass index, basal metabolic rate, body weight, %fat, and fat mass in participants, with or without T2DM in both genders. Type 2 diabetes mellitus seemed more effective on insulin resistance than obesity. We suggest that the female gender, and fat mass, and not T2DM might have significant influence on leptin levels in age.