Centrally located body fat is related to appetitive hormones in healthy postmenopausal women.

Objective: Body composition and energy homeostasis are thought to affect the appetitive hormones: adiponectin, leptin, insulin, and ghrelin. This study examined whether centrally located fat and/or overall adiposity were related to these appetitive hormones in healthy postmenopausal women.

Design: Overall and regional body composition was assessed by dual-energy X ray absorptiometry in relation to plasma adiponectin, serum leptin, serum insulin, and plasma ghrelin in 242 postmenopausal women.

Results: Regression analyses revealed that the androidal-to-gynoidal fat mass ratio (18.0%), age (3.2%), and white blood cell count (1.8%) accounted for 28% of the variability in adiponectin (F=22.2; P<0.0001); androidal (waist+hip) fat mass (66.0%), androidal fat mass(2) (6.2%), whole-body lean mass (2.2%), and age (0.8%) accounted for 69% of the variability in leptin (F=102.5; P<0.0001). Regression analyses revealed that sagittal abdominal diameter (8.4%), glucose (5.4%), white blood cell count (2.6%), and dietary omega-3 fatty acids (2.0%) accounted for 32% of the variability in insulin (F=20.8; P<0.0001); waist circumference (12.7%), hip lean mass (2.0%), and white blood cell count (1.9%) accounted for 26% of the variability in ghrelin (F=20.7; P<0.0001). Our results indicated that centralized fat mass was the primary contributor to these appetitive hormones in healthy postmenopausal women.

Conclusion: Since central adiposity in postmenopausal women was related to appetitive hormones, minimizing weight gain during the menopausal transition may optimize appetitive hormones, thereby facilitating appetite control and weight maintenance.