Horm Metab Res 1996; 28(12): 714-717
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-979885
Originals Clinical

© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Plasma Leptin in Depressed Patients and Healthy Controls

M. Deuschle1 , W. F. Blum2 , P. Englaro3 , U. Schweiger1 , B. Weber1 , C.-D. Pflaum4 , I. Heuser1
  • 1Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Clinical Institute, München, Germany
  • 2Lilly Deutschland GmbH, Bad Homburg, Germany
  • 3University Children's Hospital Giessen, Giessen, Germany
  • 4Ludwig-Maximilians-Liniversity, Klinikum Innenstadt, München, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

1996

1996

Publication Date:
23 April 2007 (online)

Abstract

Leptin is known to regulate food intake and energy expenditure. Since loss of appetite and body weight are important signs and symptoms of major depression we studied leptin plasma concentrations in both depressed patients (n = 24) suffering from loss of appetite and a healthy control group (n = 33). To rule out the possibility of inferences with other endocrine parameters known to be changed in depression or suspected to be related to leptin, we also studied cortisol, insulin, growth hormone (GH) and GH-binding protein (GHBP). We found that leptin plasma concentrations did not differ between depressed patients and healthy controls. However, leptin was positively associated with female gender, body mass index (BMI) and morning insulin. 24-hour mean cortisol was not related to leptin. Also, GH and GHBP were not related to leptin when controlled for BMI in an ANCOVA model. We conclude that leptin plasma concentrations are unchanged in depression and that there is no evidence for leptin playing a major role in loss of appetite and body weight in depressed patients.