The role of falling leptin levels in the neuroendocrine and metabolic adaptation to short-term starvation in healthy men
- PMID: 12727933
- PMCID: PMC154448
- DOI: 10.1172/JCI17490
The role of falling leptin levels in the neuroendocrine and metabolic adaptation to short-term starvation in healthy men
Abstract
To elucidate the role of leptin in regulating neuroendocrine and metabolic function during an acute fast, six to eight healthy, lean men were studied under four separate conditions: a baseline fed state and three 72-hour fasting studies with administration of either placebo, low-dose recombinant-methionyl human leptin (r-metHuLeptin), or replacement-dose r-metHuLeptin designed to maintain serum leptin at levels similar to those in the fed state. Replacement-dose r-metHuLeptin administered during fasting prevents the starvation-induced changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and, in part, the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis and IGF-1 binding capacity in serum. Thus, in normal men, the fall in leptin with fasting may be both necessary and sufficient for the physiologic adaptations of these axes, which require leptin levels above a certain threshold for activation. In contrast to findings in mice, fasting-induced changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal, renin-aldosterone, and growth hormone-IGF-1 axes as well as fuel utilization may be independent of leptin in humans. The role of leptin in normalizing several starvation-induced neuroendocrine changes may have important implications for the pathophysiology and treatment of eating disorders and obesity.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Differential regulation of metabolic, neuroendocrine, and immune function by leptin in humans.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 May 30;103(22):8481-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0505429103. Epub 2006 May 19. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006. PMID: 16714386 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
-
Pharmacokinetics of subcutaneous recombinant methionyl human leptin administration in healthy subjects in the fed and fasting states: regulation by gender and adiposity.Clin Pharmacokinet. 2008;47(11):753-64. doi: 10.2165/00003088-200847110-00006. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2008. PMID: 18840030 Free PMC article.
-
The long-term effect of recombinant methionyl human leptin therapy on hyperandrogenism and menstrual function in female and pituitary function in male and female hypoleptinemic lipodystrophic patients.Metabolism. 2005 Feb;54(2):255-63. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2004.08.021. Metabolism. 2005. PMID: 15690321 Clinical Trial.
-
Metabolic regulation of the neuroendocrine axis in pigs.Reprod Suppl. 2002;59:203-17. Reprod Suppl. 2002. PMID: 12698983 Review.
-
The role of leptin in regulating neuroendocrine function in humans.J Nutr. 2004 Sep;134(9):2469S-2474S. doi: 10.1093/jn/134.9.2469S. J Nutr. 2004. PMID: 15333744 Review.
Cited by
-
Male Endurance Athletes: Examination of Energy and Carbohydrate Availability and Hormone Responses.Nutrients. 2024 Oct 31;16(21):3729. doi: 10.3390/nu16213729. Nutrients. 2024. PMID: 39519562 Free PMC article.
-
Atypical thyroid tests in an athlete treated for hypothyroidism as the first symptom of pituitary dysfunction due to relative energy deficiency.Endocrinol Diabetes Metab Case Rep. 2024 Oct 29;2024(4):24-0066. doi: 10.1530/EDM-24-0066. Print 2024 Oct 1. Endocrinol Diabetes Metab Case Rep. 2024. PMID: 39475827 Free PMC article.
-
Characterization and Regulation of the Neonatal Growth Hormone Surge.Endocrinology. 2024 Oct 30;165(12):bqae140. doi: 10.1210/endocr/bqae140. Endocrinology. 2024. PMID: 39446366
-
Yoyo Dieting, Post-Obesity Weight Loss, and Their Relationship with Gut Health.Nutrients. 2024 Sep 19;16(18):3170. doi: 10.3390/nu16183170. Nutrients. 2024. PMID: 39339770 Free PMC article. Review.
-
The influence of extended fasting on thyroid hormone: local and differentiated regulatory mechanisms.Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2024 Aug 26;15:1443051. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1443051. eCollection 2024. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2024. PMID: 39253586 Free PMC article. Review.
References
-
- Zhang Y, et al. Positional cloning of the mouse obese gene and its human homologue. Nature. 1994;372:425–432. - PubMed
-
- Montague CT, et al. Congenital leptin deficiency is associated with severe early-onset obesity in humans. Nature. 1997;387:903–908. - PubMed
-
- Strobel A, Issad T, Camoin L, Ozata M, Strosberg AD. A leptin missense mutation associated with hypogonadism and morbid obesity. Nat. Genet. 1998;18:213–215. - PubMed
-
- Ozata M, Ozdemir IC, Licinio J. Human leptin deficiency caused by a missense mutation: multiple endocrine defects, decreased sympathetic tone, and immune system dysfunction indicate new targets for leptin action, greater central than peripheral resistance to the effects of leptin, and spontaneous correction of leptin-mediated defects. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 1999;84:3686–3695. - PubMed
-
- Pelleymounter MA, et al. Effects of the obese gene product on body weight regulation in ob/ob mice. Science. 1995;269:540–543. - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Miscellaneous