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Leptin resistance is associated with extreme obesity and aggregates in families

International Journal of Obesity volume 25, pages 1471–1473 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the determinants of plasma leptin levels and leptin resistance in a sample of extremely obese subjects and their relatives.

DESIGN and METHOD: We obtained plasma leptin values on 968 individuals from 218 families having both extremely obese and average weight members for obesity related variables. Multivariate regression analyses were used to identify predictors of both plasma leptin concentration and an index of leptin resistance. Family correlations and heritabilities were computed for plasma leptin and indices of leptin resistance.

RESULTS: Body mass index and sex predicted 63% of the variance in plasma leptin. Extremely obese subjects were most likely and average weight subjects least likely to be leptin resistant. Both leptin and leptin resistance aggregated within families.

CONCLUSION: Leptin resistance is strongly associated with extreme obesity and appears to be a heritable trait. The determination of its genetic causes will aid in understanding the role of leptin in common forms of human obesity.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the participating families for their generous cooperation. This research was supported in part by NIH grants R01DK44073, R01DK48095 and R01DK56210 to RAP. Some of the results of this paper were obtained by using the program package SAGE, which is supported by a US Public Health Service Resource grant (1P41RR03655) from the National Center for Research Resources.

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  1. JH Lee

    Present address: Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA

  2. DR Reed

    Present address: Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    JH Lee, DR Reed & RA Price

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  1. JH Lee
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  2. DR Reed
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  3. RA Price
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Correspondence to RA Price.

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Lee, J., Reed, D. & Price, R. Leptin resistance is associated with extreme obesity and aggregates in families. Int J Obes 25, 1471–1473 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801736

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