Leptin/adiponectin ratio in overweight patients - gender differences

Objective: Obesity-related atherosclerosis is a systemic disease with a background connected to multiple metabolic-neurohumoral pathways. The leptin/adiponectin ratio has been suggested as an atherosclerotic marker in obese patients. The aim of this study was to assess (1) the significance of the L/A ratio in overweight subjects, (2) the relation with anthropometric/metabolic parameters and (3) gender difference. Method: The study included 80 adult males and females, overweight, non-diabetic patients. Biochemical blood analysis and anthropometric and cardiovascular measurements were performed. Serum leptin levels were measured with a radioimmunoassay test and total adiponectin levels with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Leptin/adiponectin ratios were calculated as ratios between total serum concentrations of leptin and adiponectin. Results: Differences between leptin, adiponectin serum levels and leptin/adiponectin ratios are presented in overweight persons, where females have a significantly higher leptin/adiponectin ratio than men (p<0.001). In men, the leptin/adiponectin ratio showed a positive correlation with total cholesterol levels (p=0.011), low-density lipoprotein (p=0.013) and triglycerides (p=0.032). In females, the leptin/adiponectin ratio correlated with anthropometric parameters of visceral obesity: waist circumference (p=0.001) and waist-to-hip ratio (p=0.025). Conclusion: The leptin/adiponectin ratio could represent an atherosclerotic risk marker of the early stage of obesity. Gender plays a significant role in pathophysiological changes, with different clinical manifestations, where sex hormones have a crucial effect on neurohumoral adipose tissue activity.