Nature Medicine
3, 238 - 240 (1997)
doi:10.1038/nm0297-238
Relatively low plasma leptin concentrations precede weight gain in Pima IndiansEric Ravussin1, 4, Richard E. Pratley1, Margherita Maffei2, Hong Wang2, 3, Jeffrey M. Friedman2, 3, Peter H. Bennett1
& Clifton Bogardus1
1Clinical Diabetes and Nutrition Section, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 4212 North 16th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85016, USA
2Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, the Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, New York 10021, USA
3Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, New York 10021, USA
4Correspondence should be addressed to E.R. Leptin, the product of the ob gene1, is a hormone, produced by adipose cells, that inhibits food intake2−5 and increases energy expenditure2,3 in rodents. In humans, plasma leptin concentrations correlate closely with the size of the adipose tissue depot; however, there is considerable variation in plasma leptin concentrations at any given degree of fatness6,7. To investigate whether individuals prone to weight gain are hypoleptinemic, we measured fasting plasma leptin concentrations in two groups of weight-matched nondiabetic Pima Indians followed for approximately 3 years, 19 of whom subsequently gained weight and 17 of whom maintained their weight. After we adjusted for initial percent body fat, mean plasma leptin concentration was lower in those who gained weight than in those whose weight was stable. These data indicate that relatively low plasma leptin concentrations may play a role in the development of obesity in Pima Indians, a population prone to obesity.
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