Are body mass index, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio associated with leptin in 90-year-old people?

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 67; no. 4; pp. 420 - 422
• Main Authors: Lisko, I, Tiainen, K, Stenholm, S, Luukkaala, T, Hurme, M, Lehtimäki, T, Hervonen, A, Jylhä, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.04.2013; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/53/2422; 692/700/1518; 692/700/478; Adipose Tissue - chemistry; Adipose tissues; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Body Composition; Body fat; Body Mass Index; Body measurements; Body size; Clinical Nutrition; Epidemiology; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Finland; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hip; Hormones; Humans; Internal Medicine; Leptin; Leptin - blood; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Oldest old people; Physiological aspects; Population studies; Prospective Studies; Public Health; short-communication; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Waist Circumference; Waist-Hip Ratio; Weights & measures; Finland; Tampere Finland; nutritional status; anthropometrics; leptin; oldest-old; body fat; Body mass index; Association; Anthropometry; Leptin; Metabolic diseases; Corporal biometry; Waist hip ratio; Fat mass; Nutritional status
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2013.39

Data on how body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) are associated with body fat in the oldest-old people are scarce. The purpose of this study was to examine if BMI, WC or WHR are associated with leptin, a biological surrogate measure of body fat in 90-year-old people. The data comes from the Vitality 90+ Study, a prospective population-based study of people living in Tampere, Finland. BMI, WC, WHR and plasma concentration of leptin were available for 160 women and 54 men aged 90 years. BMI and WC had a strong significant positive association with leptin both in women and in men, but WHR was associated with leptin only in men. In conclusion, based on the circulating level of leptin, BMI and WC, and WHR in men, reflect body fat in 90-year-old people, but WHR seems to be a poor indicator of body fat in 90-year-old women.