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(Stroke. 2007;38:2844.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.

Research Letters

Leptin:Adiponectin Ratio Is an Independent Predictor of Intima Media Thickness of the Common Carotid Artery

Giuseppe Danilo Norata, PhD; Sara Raselli, PhD; Liliana Grigore, MD, PhD; Katia Garlaschelli, BSc; Elena Dozio, BSc; Paolo Magni, MD, PhD Alberico L. Catapano, PhD

From the Centro SISA per lo Studio della Aterosclerosi (G.D.N., S.R., L.G., K.G., A.L.C.), Ospedale Bassini, Cinisello Balsamo, Milan, Italy; the Department of Pharmacological Sciences (G.D.N., A.L.C.), University of Milan, Italy; and the Institute of Endocrinology (E.D., P.M.), University of Milan, Italy.

Correspondence to Giuseppe Danilo Norata, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Via Balzaretti 9, 20100 Milano, Italy. E-mail danilo.norata{at}unimi.it

Abstract

Background and Purpose— The evaluation of the leptin:adiponectin ratio (L:A) has been suggested as an atherosclerotic index in patients with type 2 diabetes and a useful parameter to assess insulin resistance in patients with and without diabetes.

Methods— We investigated, therefore, the relationship between L:A ratio and intima media thickness (IMT), an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease, in 110 healthy males.

Results— L:A ratio was significantly correlated to body mass index, waist, hip, waist-to-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, IMT, high-density lipoprotein, apolipoprotein A-I, glucose, and the homeostasis model of insulin resistance–revised. No significant correlation was observed with age, diastolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, apolipoprotein B, ApoB/ApoA-I ratio, insulin, alanine transaminase, -glutamyl-transferase, and resistin. In addition, when the relationship between IMT and adiponectin or leptin alone was analyzed, only leptin plasma levels significantly associated with IMT (r=0.301, P<0.01). In a multiple regression analysis including in the statistical model the risk factors known to affect IMT (age, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, total cholesterol, body mass index, glucose, and L:A ratio), we observed that only age, L:A, and glucose were independent predictors of IMT. As expected, obese subjects (body mass index >30 kg/m²) showed a significantly higher L:A ratio compared with nonobese subjects (1.20 versus 0.42, respectively, P<0.001); in addition, subjects with the metabolic syndrome showed a significantly higher L:A ratio level (0.79) compared with subjects without (0.52) (P<0.01).

Conclusions— We show here that the L:A ratio is a powerful independent predictor of IMT in healthy subjects and correlates with several anthropometric, metabolic, and clinical parameters better than each single adipokine.

Key Words: body mass index • IMT • leptin:adiponectin ratio • waist-to-hip ratio

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