Association of Serum Leptin and Adiponectin Concentrations with Type 2 Diabetes Biomarkers and Complications Among Saudi Women

OBJECTIVE: Hyperglycemia and insulin resistance (IR) put obese women with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: 150 T2DM women aged 30–45 were studied cross-sectionally at Madinah Hospital lab to find T2DM risk factors and their association with adiponectin/leptin levels. RESULTS: Women with T2DM showed greater fasting blood glucose (FBG), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), triglycerides (TG), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), insulin resistance (IR), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and CVD risk (high atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and leptin), but decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL-cholesterol) and poor insulin sensitivity with low adiponectin. Obese women with T2DM had increased leptin and reduced adiponectin. Leptin levels were significantly related to IR, BMI, and AIP (B= 3.97, P= 0.02) but not WC. Leptin levels were negatively correlated with insulin sensitivity (IS) and HDL-c (P< 0.05). In linear regression analysis, adiponectin levels had a significant association with IS and HDL-c (P= 0.03, P= 0.04) but an inverse relationship with IR, BMI, WC (B=−2.91, P= 0.04), and AIP (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: Increased leptin levels are related to high IR, AIP, and BMI among T2DM female patients. Similarly, adiponectin levels decrease IS and HDL-c. Therefore, obese T2DM women with high leptin and low adiponectin levels should be periodically checked to avoid or decrease consequences like CVD.