Inverse association of plasma leptin with cortical thickness at distal radius determined with a quantitative ultrasound device in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis is known to be intimately related to sympathetic nerve activity. We examined the relationship of plasma leptin with cortical and trabecular bone components in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present cross‐sectional study included 182 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients (93 men, 89 women). Cortical thickness (CoTh) and trabecular bone mineral density (BMD) were determined at the 5.5% distal radius using an LD‐100 ultrasonic bone densitometry device. Plasma leptin along with physical and laboratory measurements was simultaneously determined. RESULTS: Plasma leptin, but not body mass index (BMI), was inversely correlated with CoTh (ρ = −0.487, P < 0.001), while BMI, but not plasma leptin, was positively correlated with trabecular BMD (ρ = 0.369, P < 0.001). In multivariable regression analysis, after adjustments for age, sex, duration of diabetes, glycated hemoglobin A1c, albumin, estimated glomerular filtration rate, parathyroid hormone and handgrip strength, plasma leptin was inversely associated with CoTh (β = −0.258, P < 0.001), but not trabecular BMD. Furthermore, plasma leptin level retained a significant association with CoTh after further adjustment for BMI (β = −0.237, P < 0.001) and BMI plus waist‐to‐hip ratio (β = −0.243, P < 0.001). In contrast, the “sex × leptin” interaction was not significant (P = 0.596). CONCLUSIONS: Leptin level in plasma, independent of BMI and BMI plus waist‐to‐hip ratio, was shown to be inversely associated with CoTh, but not trabecular BMD, suggesting that hyperleptinemia resulting from obesity might contribute to cortical porosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.