Hormonal
In men, but not women, serum leptin levels are negatively correlated with insulin sensitivity (maximal glucose uptake) and positively correlated with blood pressure and waist-to-hip ratio.
For men, higher leptin levels are a marker of insulin resistance and higher blood pressure. For women, leptin levels are primarily driven by total body fat percentage and do not strongly predict insulin resistance or blood pressure in the same way. This suggests different metabolic risks associated with high leptin in each gender.
Hyperleptinemia was associated with insulin resistance (r = -0.57; P < 0.0001) and high waist to hip ratio (r = 0.75; P < 0.0001) only in men.
Why this rating
Robust statistical analysis using hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamps and multiple regression.
Source
The Metabolic Significance of Leptin in Humans: Gender-Based Differences in Relationship to Adiposity, Insulin Sensitivity, and Energy Expenditure*
Adele Kennedy et al. · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 1997
DOI 10.1210/jcem.82.4.3859
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