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Leptin—a parameter for body fat measurement in patients with eating disorders
Author(s) -
Zipfel S.,
Specht T.,
Blum W. F.,
Hebebrand J.,
Englaro P.,
Hartmann M.,
Wüster C.,
Ziegler R.,
Herzog W.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
european eating disorders review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.511
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1099-0968
pISSN - 1072-4133
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-0968(199803)6:1<38::aid-erv228>3.0.co;2-o
Subject(s) - leptin , anorexia nervosa , body mass index , medicine , bulimia nervosa , eating disorders , endocrinology , obesity , body fat percentage , psychiatry
Plasma levels of leptin correlate with the body mass index and even more with percentage body fat. Determinations of leptin levels might thus offer an alternative to easily assess fat mass in patients with eating disorders. Twenty‐five females with the DSM‐IV diagnosis of anorexia nervosa ( n =12, mean BMI 13·8) and bulimia nervosa ( n =13, mean BMI 21·7), respectively, were examined upon referral for inpatient treatment. Methods for the measurement of body fat were BMI and plasma leptin level; dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used as a reference method. Leptin levels showed a highly significant correlation to body fat measured by DXA ( r =0·95, p <0·001). In the group of anorexia patients the correlation of leptin levels with DXA ( r =0·91, p <0·001) was significantly higher than with BMI ( r =0·62, p <0·05). Measurement of leptin levels in AN patients is a promising approach for determining percentage body fat, especially at admission for inpatient treatment, prior to refeeding. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.