Research

Hormonal

Leptin resistance in obesity reverses its protective vascular effects, contributing to a pro-oxidative state, endothelial dysfunction, and accelerated biological senescence.

In obesity, high leptin levels do not protect the heart because the body becomes resistant to them. This resistance allows leptin to promote oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction, increasing cardiovascular risk. Restoring leptin sensitivity (e.g., through weight loss or bariatric surgery) may help restore these protective vascular effects.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Obesity-induced leptin resistance can reverse this balance toward an atherogenic phenotype... hyperleptinemia in obesity may arise as a compensatory mechanism to overcome leptin resistance. Despite higher circulating-levels, the previously mentioned vascular effects are attenuated.
Manuel F. Landecho et al. · Nutrients · 2019

Why this rating

The paper cites multiple studies ([36-38]) linking leptin resistance to oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction.

Source

Relevance of Leptin and Other Adipokines in Obesity-Associated Cardiovascular Risk

Manuel F. Landecho et al. · Nutrients · 2019

DOI 10.3390/nu11112664

narrative_reviewCited 300×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →