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High levels of a hormone that controls appetite appear to be linked to a
reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, US research suggests.
The 12-year-study of 200 volunteers found those with the lowest levels of
leptin were more likely to develop the disease than those with the highest.
The JAMA study builds on work that links low leptin levels to the brain plaques
found in Alzheimer's patients.
The hope is leptin could eventually be used as both a marker and a treatment.
The hormone leptin is produced by fat cells and tells the brain that the body
is full and so reduces appetite. It has long been touted as a potential weapon
in treating obesity.
But there is growing evidence that the hormone also benefits brain function.
Research on mice - conducted to establish why obese patients with diabetes
often have long-term memory problems - found those who received doses of leptin
were far more adept at negotiating their way through a maze.
The latest research, carried out at Boston University Medical Center, involved
regular brain scans on 198 older volunteers over a 12-year period.
A quarter of those with the lowest levels of leptin went on to develop
Alzheimer's disease, compared with 6% of those with the highest levels.
"If our findings our confirmed by others, leptin levels in older adults may
serve as one of several possible biomarkers for healthy brain ageing and, more
importantly, may open new pathways for possible preventive and therapeutic
intervention."
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said:
"Previous studies have shown that obesity in mid-life is associated with an
increased risk of dementia, but this new research suggests that leptin might
have a role to play.
"There is evidence that leptin has functions in the brain - further studies in
this area could lead to the possibility that this hormone plays a role in new
treatments for Alzheimer's."