Leptin Reverses Rare Form of Diabetes

A study has found that the hormone leptin can reverse the symptoms of a rare form of diabetes called lipodystrophy, according to researchers from the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, USA).

People with lipodystrophy have few or no fat cells and therefore lack leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells and stored in them. They are apt to store huge amounts of lipids in muscle or liver, to have very high levels of lipids in their blood, and to be insulin resistant. Eight of the nine female patients in the study had diabetes and were taking either insulin or a diabetes drug or a combination.

Over four months, most patients experienced significant improvements in levels of fasting glucose, or hemoglobin A1c, and triglycerides. They were able to reduce or stop their use of insulin and drugs and reported eating less after treatment. The researchers say these findings suggest that leptin reduces insulin resistance. The study was published in the February 21, 2002, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

"This is the first example of leptin's use in a therapeutic role in a rare form of diabetes,” said Philip Gorden, M.D., NIDDK's senior investigator of the study. "The idea is that if people have a hormone deficiency and they are given replacement hormone, they should respond.”