Endocrine Abstracts

Use of surrogate indices of insulin resistance depends on comparability of the relationship between glucose and insulin concentrations between different groups. It is unknown whether such surrogate estimates are equally applicable in different ethnic groups with marked differences in insulin sensitivity. We compared markers of insulin sensitivity and secretion in 78 (43 European, 19 Afro-Caribbean and 16 South Asian) normoglycaemic women of (median (lower-upper quartile)) 34.7...

Leptin is a crucial hormone in the regulation of body weight. It is produced by adipose tissue and acts centrally decreasing appetite and increasing energy expenditure. Leptin has been shown to stimulate sympathetic nervous system activity in vitro although the physiological relevance of this remains unclear. Increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity has been implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and a greatly increased cardiovascular risk. We have the...