Leptin and the Vasculature in Young Adults:The African-PREDICT Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Information regarding the effect of leptin on the vasculature in young healthy adults at risk for cardiovascular disease development is limited. We therefore examined the associations between measures of subclinical atherosclerosis (carotid intima-media thickness, carotid cross-sectional wall area), large artery stiffness (pulse wave velocity) and a measure of endothelial dysfunction (von Willebrand factor) with leptin in young healthy men and women.

METHODS: In a cross-sectional study in South Africa involving 820 normotensive individuals (337 men and 483 women) aged 20-30 years, we measured carotid intima-media thickness, carotid cross-sectional wall area, pulse wave velocity, von Willebrand factor from citrated plasma, and leptin from serum.

RESULTS: Despite 7-fold higher leptin in women than men (p<0.001), only in young healthy men we observed negative, independent associations between measures of carotid wall thickness (carotid intima-media thickness: R2 =0.05; β=-0.20; p=0.036; carotid cross-sectional wall area: R2 =0.05; β=-0.20; p=0.035) with leptin in multivariable-adjusted regression analyses. When reviewing these associations across body mass index categories, we found an association to be evident only in overweight men (carotid intima-media thickness: R2 =0.15; β=-0.41; p=0.007; carotid cross-sectional wall area: R2 =0.21; β=-0.47; p=0.002). No association was observed in the women or between pulse wave velocity and von Willebrand factor with leptin.

CONCLUSION: In young healthy men we found a beneficial inverse association between measures of carotid wall thickness and circulating leptin, thereby supporting a potential vascular protective role of leptin. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.