Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The effects of adiponectin and leptin on changes in bone mineral density

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Osteoporosis International Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Summary

We tested the hypothesis that low leptin and high adiponectin levels are associated with higher rates of bone mineral density (BMD) loss among 3,075 men and women, aged 70–79, from the Health Aging and Body Composition Study. Results suggest that adiponectin, but not leptin, is a risk factor for bone loss in women.

Introduction

Adiponectin and leptin are hormones secreted by adipose cells that may impact BMD. Few studies have evaluated the longitudinal association of leptin and adiponectin levels with rates of BMD change.

Methods

Hip and whole-body areal BMD (aBMD) were measured five times using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry over 10 years (average follow-up time, 7.95 ± 1.92 years). Trabecular lumbar spine volumetric BMD (vBMD) was measured using quantitative computed topography at baseline and year 6 in the Pittsburgh cohort only. Random slope and intercept models were used to account for within person correlation as a result of repeated measures of hip and whole-body aBMD. Linear regression was used to model changes in spine trabecular vBMD.

Results

Among women, the annualized rate of hip aBMD loss in the highest tertile of adiponectin was −0.67% (95% CI −0.77, −0.58) compared to [−0.43% (95% CI −0.51, −0.35)] in the lowest tertile (p trend = 0.019) after adjusting for age, race, BMI, diabetes, baseline hip aBMD, and weight change. In men, hip aBMD loss was greatest in the high adiponectin group (tertile 3), however this association was not significant (p trend = 0.148). After adjusting for weight change in women, the association between higher leptin and lower hip aBMD loss was attenuated and no longer significant (p trend = 0.134). Leptin and adiponectin levels were not associated with whole-body aBMD or trabecular lumbar spine vBMD loss.

Conclusions

Adiponectin was associated with increased hip aBMD loss in women only, supporting evidence that adiponectin may have an important role in bone health.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Article Open access 01 July 2023

Enisa Shevroja, Jean-Yves Reginster, … Nicholas C. Harvey

References

  1. Spiegelman BM, Flier JS (2001) Obesity and the regulation of energy balance. Cell 104:531–543

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Henry BA, Goding JW, Alexander WS et al (1999) Central administration of leptin to ovariectomized ewes inhibits food intake without affecting the secretion of hormones from the pituitary gland: evidence for a dissociation of effects on appetite and neuroendocrine function. Endocrinology 140:1175–1182

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Hinoi E, Gao N, Jung DY et al (2009) An osteoblast-dependent mechanism contributes to the leptin regulation of insulin secretion. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1173(Suppl 1):E20–E30

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Handschin AE, Trentz OA, Hemmi S et al (2007) Leptin increases extracellular matrix mineralization of human osteoblasts from heterotopic ossification and normal bone. Ann Plast Surg 59:329–333

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Scariano JK, Garry PJ, Montoya GD, Chandani AK, Wilson JM, Baumgartner RN (2003) Serum leptin levels, bone mineral density and osteoblast alkaline phosphatase activity in elderly men and women. Mech Aging Dev 124:281–286

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Goldstone AP, Howard JK, Lord GM et al (2002) Leptin prevents the fall in plasma osteocalcin during starvation in male mice. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 295:475–481

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hamrick MW, la-Fera MA, Choi YH, Pennington C, Hartzell D, Baile CA (2005) Leptin treatment induces loss of bone marrow adipocytes and increases bone formation in leptin-deficient ob/ob mice. J Bone Miner Res 20:994–1001

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ducy P, Amling M, Takeda S et al (2000) Leptin inhibits bone formation through a hypothalamic relay: a central control of bone mass. Cell 100:197–207

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Lorentzon M, Landin K, Mellstrom D, Ohlsson C (2006) Leptin is a negative independent predictor of areal BMD and cortical bone size in young adult Swedish men. J Bone Miner Res 21:1871–1878

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Morberg CM, Tetens I, Black E et al (2003) Leptin and bone mineral density: a cross-sectional study in obese and nonobese men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88:5795–5800

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Pasco JA, Henry MJ, Kotowicz MA et al (2001) Serum leptin levels are associated with bone mass in nonobese women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 86:1884–1887

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Ruhl CE, Everhart JE (2002) Relationship of serum leptin concentration with bone mineral density in the United States population. J Bone Miner Res 17:1896–1903

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Blain H, Vuillemin A, Guillemin F et al (2002) Serum leptin level is a predictor of bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 87:1030–1035

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Jurimae J, Jurimae T, Leppik A, Kums T (2008) The influence of ghrelin, adiponectin, and leptin on bone mineral density in healthy postmenopausal women. J Bone Miner Metab 26:618–623

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Jurimae J, Kums T, Jurimae T (2009) Adipocytokine and ghrelin levels in relation to bone mineral density in physically active older women: longitudinal associations. Eur J Endocrinol 160:381–385

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Weiss LA, Barrett-Connor E, von MD, Clark P (2006) Leptin predicts BMD and bone resorption in older women but not older men: the Rancho Bernardo study. J Bone Miner Res 21:758–764

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Chanprasertyothin S, Saetung S, Payattikul P, Rajatanavin R, Ongphiphadhanakul B (2006) Relationship of body composition and circulatory adiponectin to bone mineral density in young premenopausal women. J Med Assoc Thai 89:1579–1583

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Yamauchi T, Kamon J, Waki H et al (2001) The fat-derived hormone adiponectin reverses insulin resistance associated with both lipoatrophy and obesity. Nat Med 7:941–946

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Goldstein BJ, Scalia R (2004) Adiponectin: a novel adipokine linking adipocytes and vascular function. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 89:2563–2568

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Pischon T, Girman CJ, Hotamisligil GS, Rifai N, Hu FB, Rimm EB (2004) Plasma adiponectin levels and risk of myocardial infarction in men. JAMA 291:1730–1737

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Spranger J, Kroke A, Mohlig M et al (2003) Adiponectin and protection against type 2 diabetes mellitus. Lancet 361:226–228

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Yatagai T, Nagasaka S, Taniguchi A et al (2003) Hypoadiponectinemia is associated with visceral fat accumulation and insulin resistance in Japanese men with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Metabolism 52:1274–1278

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Berner HS, Lyngstadaas SP, Spahr A et al (2004) Adiponectin and its receptors are expressed in bone-forming cells. Bone 35:842–849

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Luo XH, Guo LJ, Xie H et al (2006) Adiponectin stimulates RANKL and inhibits OPG expression in human osteoblasts through the MAPK signaling pathway. J Bone Miner Res 21:1648–1656

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Basurto L, Galvan R, Cordova N et al (2009) Adiponectin is associated with low bone mineral density in elderly men. Eur J Endocrinol 160:289–293

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Gonnelli S, Caffarelli C, Del SK et al (2008) The relationship of ghrelin and adiponectin with bone mineral density and bone turnover markers in elderly men. Calcif Tissue Int 83:55–60

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Jurimae J, Jurimae T (2007) Adiponectin is a predictor of bone mineral density in middle-aged premenopausal women. Osteoporos Int 18:1253–1259

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Richards JB, Valdes AM, Burling K, Perks UC, Spector TD (2007) Serum adiponectin and bone mineral density in women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 92:1517–1523

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Michaelsson K, Lind L, Frystyk J et al (2008) Serum adiponectin in elderly men does not correlate with fracture risk. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 93:4041–4047

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Araneta MR, von MD, Barrett-Connor E (2009) Sex differences in the association between adiponectin and BMD, bone loss, and fractures: the Rancho Bernardo study. J Bone Miner Res 24:2016–2022

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Dennsion EM et al (2004) Plasma leptin concentration and change in bone density among elderly men and women: the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Calcif Tissue Int 74:401–406

    Google Scholar 

  32. Pahor M, Chrischilles EA, Guralnik JM, Brown SL, Wallace RB, Carbonin P (1994) Drug data coding and analysis in epidemiologic studies. Eur J Epidemiol 10:405–411

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Whitt MC et al (2000) Compendium of physical activities: an update of activity codes and MET intensities. Med Sci Sports Exerc 32:S498–S504

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Zoico E, Zamboni M, Adami S et al (2003) Relationship between leptin levels and bone mineral density in the elderly. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 59:97–103

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Thomas T, Burguera B, Melton LJ III et al (2001) Role of serum leptin, insulin, and estrogen levels as potential mediators of the relationship between fat mass and bone mineral density in men versus women. Bone 29:114–120

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Yamauchi M, Sugimoto T, Yamaguchi T et al (2001) Plasma leptin concentrations are associated with bone mineral density and the presence of vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 55:341–347

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Barbour KE, Zmuda JM, Boudreau R et al (2011) Adipokines and the risk of fracture in older adults. J Bone Miner Res 26:1568–1576

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Ealey KN, Kaludjerovic J, Archer MC, Ward WE (2008) Adiponectin is a negative regulator of bone mineral and bone strength in growing mice. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 233:1546–1553

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Johansson C, Black D, Johnell O, Oden A, Mellstrom D (1998) Bone mineral density is a predictor of survival. Calcif Tissue Int 63:190–196

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Role of Funding Source

The Health Aging and Body Composition Study (Health ABC) includes the contract numbers: N01-AG-6-2101, N01-AG-6-2103, N01-AG-6-2106, and R01-AG028050. This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Institute on Aging.

Conflicts of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    K. E. Barbour, J. M. Zmuda, R. Boudreau, E. S. Strotmeyer, R. W. Evans & J. A. Cauley

  2. Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    M. J. Horwitz

  3. Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    A. M. Kanaya

  4. Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography, and Biometry, National Institute of Aging, Bethesda, MD, USA

    T. B. Harris

  5. Center of Aging and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, 130 N Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    K. E. Barbour

Authors
  1. K. E. Barbour
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. M. Zmuda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. Boudreau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. E. S. Strotmeyer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. J. Horwitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. R. W. Evans
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. A. M. Kanaya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. T. B. Harris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. J. A. Cauley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Consortia

The Health ABC Study

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. E. Barbour.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barbour, K.E., Zmuda, J.M., Boudreau, R. et al. The effects of adiponectin and leptin on changes in bone mineral density. Osteoporos Int 23, 1699–1710 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-011-1768-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-011-1768-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation