Leptin predicts diabetes but not CVD: results from a large prospective study in the elderly
- Paul Welsh, PhD (p.welsh{at}clinmed.gla.ac.uk),
- Heather M Murray, MSc,
- Brendan M. Buckley, FRCPI,
- Anton J.M de Craen, PhD,
- Ian Ford, PhD,
- J. Wouter Jukema, MD,
- Peter W. Macfarlane, DSc,
- Chris J. Packard, DSc,
- David J. Stott, FRCPI,
- Rudi G.J. Westendorp, MD, PhD,
- James Shepherd, MD, PhD and
- Naveed Sattar, MD, PhD
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow (PW, PWM, CJP, DJS, JS, NS); Robertson Centre for Biostatistics (HM, IF), University of Glasgow; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (BMB), Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland; Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics (AJMdC, RGJW) and Departments of Cardiology (JWJ) Leiden University Medical Centre, The Netherlands
Abstract
Objective: To clarify the association of circulating levels of leptin with risk for CVD events and new onset diabetes in men and women.
Research Design and Methods: We related baseline leptin levels to CVD events (n=864) and incident diabetes (n=289) in the elderly (n=5672) over 3.2 years follow-up.
Results: In treatment, age, and country adjusted models, leptin was not associated with risk of CVD in men (HR 1.02 [95%CI 0.90–1.16] per unit log-leptin increase) or women (HR 1.05 [0.91–1.20]), but did associate with risk for diabetes in men (HR 2.75 [2.14–3.52]) and women (HR 1.54 [1.22–1.94]). After adjusting for classical risk factors, BMI, CRP and glucose, the diabetes association in men retained significance (HR 1.85 [1.30–2.63]), but not in women (HR 0.89 [0.64–1.26]).
Conclusions: Leptin, like other markers of adiposity in general, is more strongly related to risk of diabetes than CVD in the elderly.
Footnotes
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- Received August 27, 2008.
- Accepted October 30, 2008.
- Copyright © American Diabetes Association
