Leptin and Adiponectin in Relation to Body Mass Index and Anemia

Abstract

Obesity/its comorbidities occasionally exist alone, but actually, this is a dynamic network of cross morbidities that are often regarded as separable entities. Obesity is nowadays viewed as an escalating risk factor for iron deficiency, and various theories have been proposed since then explaining their relation. We aimed to determine the relationship of increased body mass index (BMI) with adiponectin, leptin, and iron profile in a sample of middle-aged and older adults with and without iron deficiency anemia. An observational study was performed among 90 participants classified into three groups. Group І included healthy subjects with normal BMI; as a control. Group II included subjects with increased BMI, and group III included subjects with increased BMI and iron deficiency anemia. After overnight fasting, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, iron, total iron-binding capacity, complete blood count, serum leptin, and adiponectin were measured. There were significantly higher mean values of BMI among those with anemia, higher mean values of serum leptin, and significantly lower mean values of adiponectin. A significant positive correlation of serum leptin with BMI and a significant negative correlation of serum leptin with iron in Group III were reported. The adiponectin/leptin ratio of (0.8) was correlated with iron and homeostatic model assessment in Group III, and a ratio of (1.1) was significantly correlated with BMI and hemoglobin level in Group II. This could suggest that interventions aimed at increasing the adiponectin/leptin ratio may help in resolving anemia among obese populations by increasing their serum iron and hemoglobin.