High levels of the hormone leptin, which may help prevent over-eating, is linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s according to a new study published today (Wednesday, 16 December).
The research, which appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at brain scans from 198 older people after measuring their leptin levels. It found a quarter of those with the lowest levels of leptin developed Alzheimer’s compared with six per cent of those with the highest levels.
The JAMA study builds on work that links low leptin levels to the brain plaques found in Alzheimer’s patients.
The hope is leptin could eventually be used as both a marker and a treatment.
