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Basal Serum Prolactin Levels in Obesity—Unrelated to Parameters of the Metabolic Syndrome and Unchanged After Massive Weight Loss

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Abstract

Background

Prolactin (PRL) has been proposed to play an important role in the pathophysiology of obesity. To further elucidate the relationship between PRL and obesity-related metabolic disturbances, we performed a large cross-sectional study and also reassessed serum PRL levels in a subsample ~1 year after gastric bypass surgery.

Methods

In the cross-sectional part of the study, we assessed basal serum PRL levels in 344 obese subjects (68% women; BMI mean ± SD, 44.3 ± 6.6 kg/m2; range 27.0–67.0 kg/m2) along with measurements of glucose, insulin, C-peptide, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, high sensitive (hs) C-reactive protein, and fat mass assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis. In 38 patients, we reassessed PRL levels ~1 year after they have undergone a gastric bypass operation.

Results

Women displayed higher basal PRL levels than men (9.0 ± 4.8 vs. 7.9 ± 3.6 μg/l, P = 0.03). Basal PRL levels were neither significantly correlated with the BMI of the subjects (r = −0.05, P = 0.77) nor with any other of the assessed variables (all r < 0.16, P > 0.06) even after adjusting for the influence of sex. After massive surgically induced weight loss that on average almost approached 50 kg, basal serum PRL levels remained completely unchanged (before vs. after, 9.1 ± 6.0 vs. 9.2 ± 4.6 μg/l, P = 0.86). However, preoperative PRL levels significantly correlated with that assessed after the operation (r = 0.47; P = 0.005).

Conclusions

In contrast to our expectation, we could detect neither any significant association between basal PRL levels and the degree of obesity or related metabolic disturbances nor any systematic changes in basal concentrations of the hormone after massive weight loss. In sum, our data do not support the notion of a major role of PRL in the pathophysiology of obesity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interdisciplinary Obesity Center, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, Heidener Strasse 11, CH-9400, Rorschach, Switzerland

    Barbara Ernst, Martin Thurnheer & Bernd Schultes

Authors
  1. Barbara Ernst
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  2. Martin Thurnheer
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  3. Bernd Schultes
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bernd Schultes.

Additional information

The authors have no commercial interest to disclose. The study was financially supported by a grant from Johnson & Johnson. The funder had no role in the study design, analysis, and publication of the data.

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Ernst, B., Thurnheer, M. & Schultes, B. Basal Serum Prolactin Levels in Obesity—Unrelated to Parameters of the Metabolic Syndrome and Unchanged After Massive Weight Loss. OBES SURG 19, 1159–1162 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-009-9856-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-009-9856-0

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