Examining the Association Between Serum Leptin and Sarcopenic Obesity

Objective: Sarcopenic obesity is an emerging geriatric syndrome among elderly individuals. Studies revealed a complicated pathogenesis between sarcopenia and obesity. Leptin, a proinflammatory adipokine, has been implicated in the mechanism of sarcopenic obesity. This study investigated the relationship between serum leptin level and sarcopenic obesity. Methods: The study included 4063 participants aged 60 years and older from the NHANES III database. Sarcopenia was defined as a skeletal muscle index (SMI) less than one standard deviation below the young adult value. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMIF) over 30 kg/[m.sup.2]. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to examine the association between serum leptin level and sarcopenic obesity. Results: In adjusted models, serum leptin level was positively correlated with BMI ([beta]: 1.33, p value < 0.001) and negatively correlated with SMI ([beta]: -0.091, p value = 0.001). A significant association between serum leptin level and sarcopenic obesity was found in multivariate analysis ([beta]: 4.011, p value=0.014). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that serum leptin level was related to an increased risk of sarcopenic obesity. This epidemiologic finding suggests that leptin may play a role in sarcopenic obesity. Keywords: serum leptin levels, sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity