Abstract

Objective: To measure the serum leptin and insulin levels and assess that how body mass index and affects these
levels in pre and post menopausal obese and non-obese women.
Place and duration of study: It was a comparative study. Sampling was done from various Hospitals,
organizations and residential areas. The experimental work was carried out at the department of Biochemistry &
Molecular Biology and Center for Research in Experimental and Applied Medicine-1 (CREAM-1), NUST,
Rawalpindi, Pakistan and was spread on duration of 18 months.
Methodology: The samples for the study were obtained from healthy eighty subjects & divided into
premenopausal and postmenopausal groups of 40 each which were further sub-divided into obese and non obese
based on the body mass index (cutoff BMI value = 25 kg/m²). Fasting blood sugar, triglycerides, serum Insulin
and serum leptin were measured along with BMI and HOMA IR. Data was analyzed for frequencies, percentages,
means and standard deviation (± SD). The Chi-square test was used for comparison of qualitative data variables
between groups, while the Student’s t-test was used for comparison of means. Linear correlations were
performed by using the Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient, r.
Results: There is significant difference in the mean age, weight, BMI and insulin between the two non-obese
groups. A significant difference in the mean age and triglyceride between the two obese groups was also
observed. There is significant difference in the mean age, weight and BMI between the pre menopausal
non-obese and obese groups along with a significant difference in the mean weight, BMI, insulin and HOMA IR
between the postmenopausal non-obese and obese groups. Leptin has significant positive correlation with weight,
BMI, and HOMA IR whereas Insulin has significant positive correlation with weight, leptin and HOMA IR.
Conclusion: Menopause does not influence FSL levels. The variations observed in FSL levels between pre and
postmenopausal women, in some studies, might be due to differences in their mean FSI levels and BMI. The
mean FSL tends to increase with increased BMI irrespective of menopausal status. There is corresponding
increase in FSL with increase in FSI levels, generally the obese have higher FSI and FSL levels, irrespective of
menopausal status. Major metabolic hormones insulin and leptin, don’t seem to have a role in pathophysiology
of postmenopausal obesity.

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