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Delineating the Relationship Between Leptin, Fat Mass, and Bone Mineral Density: A Mediation Analysis

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Abstract

To test the hypothesis that the relationship between fat mass (FM) and bone mineral density (BMD) is mediated by leptin. The study involved 611 individuals aged 20–89 years who were randomly sampled from Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). BMD at the femoral neck (FN), lumbar spine (LS), and whole body (WB) was measured by DXA. Lean mass and FM were derived from the WB DXA scan. Leptin was measured by ELISA (DRG Diagnostics, Germany). The regression method was used to partition the variance of leptin and FM on BMD. The mediated effect of leptin was analyzed by the mediation analysis model. In the multiple linear regression, leptin, FM, and age collectively accounted for ~34 % variation in FNBMD in men and women. However, only 0.5 % of this explained variance was due to leptin. Of the total effect of FM on FNBMD, the mediated effect of leptin accounted for 6.1 % (P = 0.38) in men and 7.1 % (P = 0.99) in women. The same trend was observed for LS and WBBMD. These data suggest that greater FM is associated with greater BMD, but the association is not mediated by leptin, and that leptin has a non-significant influence on bone mass.

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Acknowledgments

This research is funded by Foundation for Science and Technology Development of Ton Duc Thang University (FOSTECT, http://fostect.tdt.edu.vn), Grant number FOSTECT.2014.BR.09, and a grant from the Department of Science and Technology of Ho Chi Minh City. We sincerely thank Ms Tran Thi Ngoc Trang and Fr Pham Ba Lam for coordinating the recruitment of participants. We also thank doctors and medical students of the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine for the data collection and clinical measurements.

Author Contributions

Lan T. Ho-Pham and Tuan V. Nguyen conceived the idea and designed the study; Lan T. Ho-Pham, Thai Q. Lai, Uyen D. T. Nguyen and Quoc V. Bui made acquisition of data. Lan T. Ho-Pham and Tuan V. Nguyen carried out analysis and interpretation of data; Lan T. Ho-Pham and Tuan V. Nguyen drafted the manuscript; Thai Q. Lai and Tuan V. Nguyen analyzed the data; Lan T. Ho-Pham and Tuan V. Nguyen revised the final manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bone and Muscle Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University, 19 Nguyen Huu Tho Street, Tan Phong Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Lan T. Ho-Pham

  2. Department of Rheumatology, People’s Hospital 115, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Thai Q. Lai

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Uyen D. T. Nguyen & Quoc V. Bui

  4. Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, Australia

    Tuan V. Nguyen

  5. School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW Australia, Sydney, Australia

    Tuan V. Nguyen

  6. University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia

    Tuan V. Nguyen

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  1. Lan T. Ho-Pham
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Correspondence to Lan T. Ho-Pham.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr Lan T. Ho-Pham, Dr Thai Q. Lai, Dr Uyen D. T. Nguyen, Dr Quoc V. Bui, Prof. Tuan V. Nguyen declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

The study was approved by the Scientific Committee of the People’s Hospital 115 and Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine. All individuals gave written informed consent.

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Ho-Pham, L.T., Lai, T.Q., Nguyen, U.D.T. et al. Delineating the Relationship Between Leptin, Fat Mass, and Bone Mineral Density: A Mediation Analysis. Calcif Tissue Int 100, 13–19 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-016-0196-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-016-0196-5

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