Context: Obesity is frequently associated with left ventricular hypertrophy, even when uncomplicated by hypertension or diabetes mellitus. Left ventricular hypertrophy is an important risk factor for congestive heart failure. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between leptin and left ventricular mass in uncomplicated, morbid (grade 3) obesity and the existence of leptin receptors and intracellular signaling proteins in the human heart. Design: Left ventricular mass (LVM) was calculated through electrocardiogram reading in normotensive grade III obese patients (World Health Organization classification) undergoing bariatric surgery [laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB)] at baseline and 1 yr later. The control group was composed of healthy lean normotensive subjects. Leptin receptors were detected by PCR and immunocytochemistry in human heart biopsies. Setting: This study was performed at university hospitals. Patients: Thirty-one grade 3 obese patients and 30 healthy nonobese normotensive, age- and sex-matched control subjects were studied. Intervention: Obese subjects underwent LAGB to induce weight loss and were evaluated at baseline and after 1 yr. Results: LVM, plasma leptin, glucose, insulin levels, and homeostasis model assessment index were higher in obese than in lean controls (P < 0.01); at univariate regression analysis, LVM correlated with body mass index, leptin, and homeostasis model assessment index; at multiple regression analysis, LVM only correlated with leptin levels (P = 0.001). Obese subjects were reevaluated 1 yr after LAGB, when their body mass index changed from 46.2 ± 1.24 to 36.6 ± 1.05 kg/m² (P < 0.01); the decrease in LVM correlated only with the decrease in leptin levels (P < 0.01). We demonstrated that long and short isoforms of the leptin receptor and intracellular proteins mediating leptin signaling were expressed in human heart by RT-PCR, immunocytochemistry, or both methods. Conclusions: These data suggest that leptin could contribute to the left ventricular hypertrophy in humans.

OBJECTIVE—Lifestyle modifications and pharmacological interventions can prevent type 2 diabetes in obese subjects with impaired glucose tolerance. The aim of this study was to compare laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) and conventional diet (No-LAGB) in the prevention (primary intervention study; 56 vs. 29 patients) and remission (secondary intervention study; 17 vs. 20 patients) of type 2 diabetes and hypertension in grade 3 obesity in a 4-year study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—The subjects (n = 122; age 48.5 ± 1.05 years; BMI 45.7 ± 0.67 kg/m²) underwent a diagnostic workup, including psychological and psychiatric assessments, in preparation for the LAGB procedure. Of the 122 subjects, 73 had the surgery (LAGB group). The control group (No-LAGB group) consisted of the 49 subjects who refused the surgery but agreed to be followed up; 6 of these subjects dropped out by the 2nd year of the study, so that the final number of patients was 73 and 43 in the LAGB and No-LAGB groups, respectively. All patients had a yearly visit and oral glucose tolerance test. RESULTS—From baseline to the end of the 4-year follow-up, BMI decreased from 45.9 ± 0.89 at baseline to 37.7 ± 0.71 kg/m² in the LAGB group and remained steady in the No-LAGB group (from 45.2 ± 1.04 to 46.5 ± 1.37 kg/m²), with no significant differences between the primary and secondary intervention groups. In the primary intervention study, five of the No-LAGB subjects (17.2%) and none of the LAGB subjects (0.0%; P = 0.0001) progressed to type 2 diabetes; in the secondary intervention study, type 2 diabetes remitted in one No-LAGB patient (4.0%) and seven LAGB patients (45.0%; P = 0.0052). Hypertension occurred in 11 No-LAGB patients (25.6%) and 1 LAGB patient (1.4%; P = 0.0001) and remitted in 1 No-LAGB (2.3%) and 15 LAGB patients (20.5%; P = 0.0001). A study of body mass composition revealed a significant reduction of fat mass and a transitory, but not significant, decrease of fat-free mass in LAGB patients. CONCLUSIONS—In morbid obesity, sustained and long-lasting weight loss obtained through LAGB prevents the occurrence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension and decreases the prevalence of these disorders.

Weight loss ameliorates arterial hypertension and glucose metabolism in obese patients, but the dietary approach is unsatisfactory because obesity relapses. Durable reduction of body weight, obtained through major nonreversible surgical procedures, such as jejunal and gastric bypass, allows improvement of glucose metabolism and arterial blood pressure in morbid (grade 3) obesity. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is a minimally invasive and reversible surgical procedure that yields a significant reduction of gastric volume and hunger sensation. In this study, 143 patients with grade 3 obesity [27 men and 116 women; age, 42.9 ± 0.83 yr; body mass index (BMI), 44.9 ± 0.53 kg/m²; normal glucose tolerance (NGT; n = 77); impaired glucose tolerance (IGT; n = 47); type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM; n = 19)] underwent LAGB and a 3-yr follow-up for clinical (BMI, waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, and arterial blood pressure) and metabolic variables (glycosylated hemoglobin, fasting insulin and glucose, insulin and glucose response to oral glucose tolerance test, homeostasis model assessment index, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, and transaminases). At baseline and 1 yr after LAGB, patients underwent computerized tomography and ultrasound evaluation of visceral and sc adipose tissue. One-year metabolic results were compared with 120 obese patients (51 men and 69 women; age, 42.9 ± 1.11 yr; BMI, 43.6 ± 0.46 kg/m²; NGT, n = 66; IGT, n = 8; T2DM, n = 46) receiving standard dietary treatment. LAGB induced a significant and persistent weight loss and decrease of blood pressure. Greater metabolic effects were observed in T2DM patients than in NGT and IGT patients, so that at 3 yr glycosylated hemoglobin was no longer different in NGT and T2DM subjects. Clinical and metabolic improvements were proportional to the amount of weight loss. LAGB induced a greater reduction of visceral fat than sc fat. At 1-yr evaluation, weight loss and metabolic improvements were greater in LAGB-treated than diet-treated patients. We conclude that LAGB is an effective treatment of grade 3 obesity in inducing long-lasting reduction of body weight and arterial blood pressure, modifying body fat distribution, and improving glucose and lipid metabolism, especially in T2DM.