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Evidence for Leptin Regulation of Food Intake in Humans¹

Departments of Medicine (H.L., G.B., B.A.) and Community Medicine (S.E.), Lund University, Malmö University Hospital, S-205 02 Malmö, Sweden

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Hillevi Larsson, Department of Medicine, Lund University, Malmö University Hospital, S-205 02 Malmö, Sweden. E-mail: Hillevi.Larsson{at}medforsk.mas.lu.se

The adipocyte hormone leptin regulates body weight in mice by decreasing food intake and increasing energy expenditure. Whether leptin is of physiological importance for these processes in humans is, however, not clear. We therefore studied the relation between leptin and habitual food intake in 64 healthy postmenopausal women. Dietary habits were assessed with a modified diet history method. Body fat content was measured using bioelectrical impedance. In the 64 women, aged 58.6 ± 0.4 yr (mean ± SD), serum leptin was 19.3 ± 12.7 ng/mL, body mass index was 25.0 ± 3.5 kg/m², body fat content was 31.6 ± 4.3%, fasting glucose was 4.6 ± 0.5 mmol/L, and fasting insulin was 56 ± 21 pmol/L. Leptin levels were negatively correlated to total energy intake (r = -0.34; P = 0.006), carbohydrate intake (r = -0.36; P = 0.004), and total (r = -0.27; P = 0.034) as well as saturated fat intake (r = -0.31; P = 0.014). Leptin was correlated to the absolute, but not to the percent, intake of these nutrients. When normalized for body fat content, the correlations remained significant. Our results suggest that plasma leptin is involved in the physiological regulation of food intake in humans, and that leptin is related to the quantity rather than the quality of habitual food intake.

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