Serum sialic acid, a reputed cardiovascular risk factor, is related to serum leptin concentrations in Fijians

Background: Serum sialic acid (TSA) has been shown to be a cardiovascular risk factor and an acute phase reactant, with elevated concentrations associated with increased cardiovascular mortality and to precede the onset of type 2 diabetes. Aim: The purpose of this present study was to test the hypothesis that serum TSA may be related to serum leptin concentrations in healthy individuals. Methods: Thirty Fijian individuals were studied (8 males and 22 females). They were urban Melanesians living in Raiwaga, a suburb of Suva in Fiji. Results: Serum TSA significantly correlated with subject body mass index (BMI, rho 0.39, P < 0.05) and serum leptin concentration (rho 0.44, P < 0.05). In stepwise multiple regression analysis serum TSA independently correlated with subject waist/hip ratio (r(2) = 0.167, P < 0.02) and diastolic blood pressure (r(2) = 0.300, P < 0.01) but not with age, BMI, serum insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP-1), fasting plasma glucose or systolic or diastolic blood pressure. Conclusions: Serum TSA is related to markers of obesity and adipose tissue metabolism which may help to explain why it is a reputed cardiovascular risk factor and why elevated serum TSA concentrations precede the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.