The present study was aimed to evaluate the role of leptin in the etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus in women with respect to obesity and their menopausal status. 595 pre and postmenopausal women were recruited for the study and out of them, 40 pre- and 40 postmenopausal women were selected for biochemical analysis. Each group was divided into four categories as; non-obese control, obese control, non-obese diabetic, and obese diabetic with 10 subjects in each group. BMI was calculated and diabetic status was determined following WHO guidelines. Leptin, estradiol and insulin levels were assessed and Lipid estimation was performed as per standardized methods. Degree of dyslipidemia was higher in obese as compared to non-obese, diabetic as compared to control, and Post-M women as compared to Pre-M women. Obese subjects had significantly higher leptin and insulin levels as compared to nonobese subjects. On the other hand, diabetic Pre- and Post-M subjects had lower leptin and insulin levels as compared to their control counterparts. Higher degree of dyslipidemia and reduced leptin level coupled with reduced insulin level observed in diabetic pre- and postmenopausal women as compared to their control counterparts suggests some link between leptin, dyslipidemia and insulin and its possible association with diabetes.
