Open Access Relationship of Leptin Hormones with Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference in Saudi Female Population of the Makkah Community

Abstract: Objective: This study aims to study obesity in Saudi female population represented by Makkah community. Design: To study obesity, leptin concentration was measured and other measurements, like body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) have been used in this study. Setting: Departments of Physiology and Biochemistry, Medical College, Umm-Alqura Universty, Saudi Arabia. Subjects: Two-hundred and forty women (n=240) between the ages 18 and 65 participate in this study. Volunteers were divided into three groups. The first group was the normal or control group with (BMI) range from 18 to 29.9, the second group was the obese and characterise with (BMI) ≥ 30 and finally obese diabetic group with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 and suffer from diabetes mellitus. Main Outcome Measure: Leptin levels and Anthropometrics measurements. Results: Leptin was measured in all the groups and their means found to be (8.4±1.4) in normal, (56.3±18.8) in obese and (42±19.3) in diabetic obese group. Leptin levels were directly associated with BMI in obese and diabetic obese group as follows: (r=0.350, p=0.001), and (r=0.355, p=0.001). Also, leptin concentrations were positively correlated with WC in obese and diabetic obese. Conclusion: Leptin concentrations were found to be high in both obese and diabetic obese group and showed a directly positive relation with BMI and waist circumference. Understanding that leptin hormone influencing appetite and body weight that cause obesity. However, understanding the relationship of leptin across all obesity categories may help in understanding pathophysiology and perhaps in developing the treatments for obese individuals