Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Leptin levels recover normally in healthy older adults after acute diet-induced weight loss

  • Clinical Trials And Aging
  • Published:
The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging

Abstract

Objectives: Involuntary weight loss affects 20% of community dwelling older adults. The underlying mechanism for this disorder is unknown. Objective is to determine if failure of older persons to regain weight is associated with elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine and leptin levels.Design: Prospective diet intervention study.Setting: University of Washington Medical Center from 2001–2005.Participants: Twenty-one younger (18–35 years old) and nineteen older (≥ 70 years old) men and women.Intervention: Each subject was placed for two weeks on a weight-maintaining diet, followed in sequence by 2 weeks of 30% caloric restriction, then 4 weeks of ad libitum food intake.Measurements: Plasma leptin levels, fasting serum pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell cytokine levels were measured.Results: Leptin levels in the two cohorts decreased after caloric restriction and increased after ad-libitum food consumption resumed. Plasma TNF levels were higher in older subjects compared to younger adults. However, there was no association between changes in TNF levels and changes in AUC leptin.Conclusion: Leptin levels in healthy older individuals responded appropriately in a compensatory manner to changes in body weight. These data do not support a cytokine dependent elevation in leptin levels as being responsible for the failure of older adults to regain weight.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wallace JI, Schwartz RS, LaCroix AZ, Uhlmann RF, Pearlman RA. Involntary weight loss in older outpatients: Incidence and clinical significance. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1995:43:329–337.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Payette H, Coulombe C, Boutier V, Gray-Donald K. Weight loss and mortality among free-living frail elders: Prospective study. J Gerontol. 1999:54A:M440–445.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Fried LP, Tangen CM, Walston J, et al. Frailty in older adults: Evidence for a phenotype. J Gerontol Med Science. 2001:56A:M146–156.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Robert SB, Fuss P, Heyman MB, et al. Control of food intake in older men. JAMA. 1994:272:1601–1606.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Moriguti JC, Das SK, Saltzman E, et al. Effects of a 6-week hypocaloric diet on changes in body composition, hunger, and subsequent weight regain in healthy young and older adults. J Gerontol. 2000:55A:B580-B587.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Yukawa M, Cummings DE, Matthys CC et al. Effect of aging on the response of ghrelin to acute weight loss. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2006:54:648–653.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Zhang Y, Proenca R, Maffeir M, Barone M, Leopold L, Friedman JM. Positional cloning of the mouse obese gene and its human homologue. Nature. 1994:372:425–432.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Halaas JL, Gajiwala KS, Maffei M, et al. Weight-reducing effects of the plasma protein encoded by the obese gene. Science. 1995:269:542–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Grunfeld C, Pang M, Shigenaga JK, et al.. Serum leptin levels in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab.1996:81:4342–4346.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Lin SY, Wang YY, Sheu WH. Increased serum leptin concentrations correlate with soluble tumuor necrosis factor receptor levels in patients with cirrhosis. Clin Endo 2002:57:805–811.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Odamaki M, Furuya R, Yoneyama T, et al. Association of the serum leptin concentration with weight loss in chronic hemodialysis patients. Am J Kidney Dis. 1999:33:361–368.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Papathanassoglou EDE, Moynihan JA, Ackerman MH, Mantzoros CS. Serum leptin levels are higher but are not independently associated with severity or mortality in the multiple organ dysfunction/systemic inflammatory response syndrome: a matched case control and a longitudinal study. Clin Endo 2001:54:225–233.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Takabatake N, Nakamura H, Abe S, et al. Circulating leptin in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1999:159:1215–1219.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Weigle DS, Ganter SL, Kuijper JL, Leonetti DL, Boyko EJ, Fujimoto WY. Effect of regional fat distribution and Prader-Willi Syndrome on plasma leptin levels. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997:82:566–570.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Havel PJ, Townsend R, Chaump L, Teff K. High-fat meals reduce 24-h circulating leptin concentrations in women. Diabetes. 1999:48:334–341.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Roubenoff R, Harris TB, Abad LW, Wilson PWF, Dallal GE, Dinarello CA. Monocyte cytokine production in an elderly population: Effect of age and inflammation. J Gerontol. 1998:53A:M20–26.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Mysliwska J, Bryl E, Foerster J, Mysliwski A. Increase of interleukin 6 and decrease of interleukin 2 production during the aging process are influenced by the health status. Mech Aging Dev. 1998:100:313–328.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Ruscin JM, Page RL, Yeager BF, Wallace JI. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and involuntary weight loss in elderly, community-dwelling adults. Pharmacotherapy. 2005:25:313–319.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Filippatos GS, Tsilias K, Venetsanou K, Karambinos E, Manolatos D, Kranidis A, et al. Leptin serum levels in cachectic heart failure patients relationship with tumor necrosis factor-alpha system. Int J Cardiol. 2000:76:117–122.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Dobbs RJ, Charlett A, Perkiss AG, Dobbs SM, Weller C, Peterson DW. Association of circulating TNF-α and IL-6 with aging and Parkinsonism. Acta Neurol Scand. 1999:100:34–41.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Pfitzenmaier J, Vessella R, Higano CS, Noteboom JL, Wallace D, Corey E. Elevation of cytokine levels in cachectic patients with prostate carcinoma. Cancer. 2003:97:1211–1216.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Yeh SS, Hafnew A, Chang CK, Levine DM, Parker TS, Schuster MW. Risk factors relating blood markers of inflammation and nutritional status to survival in cachectic geriatric patients in a randomized clinical trial. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004:52:1708–1712.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Cohen HJ, Pieper CF, Harris T, Murali K, Rao K, Currie MS. The association of plasma IL-6 levels with functional disability in community-dwelling elderly. J Gerontol. 1997:52A:M201–208.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Janik JE, Curti BD, Considine RV, et al. Interleukin 1α increases serum leptin concentrations in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997:82:3084–3086.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Zumback MS, Boehme MWJ, Wahl P, Stremmel W, Ziegler R, Nawroth PP. Tumor necrosis factor increases serum leptin levels in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997:82:4080–4082.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Hansen MB, Svenson M, Diamant M, Bendtzen K. High affinity IgG autoantibodies to IL-6 in sera of normal individuals are competitive inhibitors of IL-6 in vitro. Cytokine. 1993:5:72–80.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Dandona F, Weinstock R, Thusu K, Abdel-Rahman E, Aljada A, Wadden T. Tumor necrosis factor- in sera of obese patients: Fall with weight loss. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1998:83:2907–2910.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. House RV. Cytokine bioassays: an overview. Dev Biol Stand 1999;97:13–19.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Williams MA, Mahomed K, Farrand A et al. Plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha soluble receptor p55 (sTNFp55) concentrations in eclamptic, preeclamptic and normotensive pregnant Zimbabwean women. J Reprod Immunol 1998:40:159–173.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Moore DS, McCabe GP. Introduction to the practice of Statistics. 4th Ed. New York, NY: WH Freeman Co; 2003:773–775.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, 325 9th Ave Box 359755, 98104, Seattle, WA

    M. Yukawa

Authors
  1. M. Yukawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. A. Phelan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. H. S. Callahan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C. F. Spiekerman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. I. B. Abrass
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. D. S. Weigle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Yukawa.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yukawa, M., Phelan, E.A., Callahan, H.S. et al. Leptin levels recover normally in healthy older adults after acute diet-induced weight loss. J Nutr Health Aging 12, 652–656 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03008277

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03008277

Key words

Search

Navigation