Abstract
High leptin levels are associated with an unfavorable cardiometabolic risk profile. A number of studies found a positive association between leptin and vascular damage, but to date, no observational study has evaluated a potential predictive role of leptin for arterial stiffening. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the role of leptin in the incidence of arterial stiffening (pulse pressure >60 mmHg) and changes in pulse pressure in an 8-year follow-up of a sample of adult men (The Olivetti Heart Study). The analysis included 460 men without baseline arterial stiffening and antihypertensive treatment at baseline and at follow-up (age: 50.0 years, BMI: 26.5 kg/m(2)). At the end of the follow-up period, the incidence of arterial stiffening was 8%. Baseline leptin was significantly greater in the group that developed arterial stiffening and was significantly correlated with pulse pressure changes over time (p < 0.05). According to the median plasma leptin distribution of the whole population, the sample was stratified into two groups: one with leptin levels above the median and the other with leptin levels below the median. Those who had baseline leptin levels above the median had a greater risk of developing arterial stiffening (odds ratio: 2.5, p < 0.05) and a greater increase in pulse pressure over time (beta: 2.1, p < 0.05), also after adjustment for confounders. The results of this prospective study indicate a predictive role of circulating leptin levels for vascular damage, independent of body weight and blood pressure.