A protein that has a role in the regulation of fat storage by the body.
n. a protein that is produced and secreted by adipose tissue (especially white fat) and has a role in the regulation of eating (leptin receptors are concentrated in the hypothalamus). Increased amounts of adipose tissue result in higher concentrations of leptin and a reduction in appetite. A deficiency of leptin is responsible for a few cases of obesity.
n. the condition in which excess fat has accumulated in the body, in both the subcutaneous and visceral tissues. Clinical obesity is defined as a *body mass index of 30 or over. A waist circumference of greater than 102 cm in men and 88 cm in women is a strong predictor of a person developing additional medical conditions associated with obesity. The accumulation of fat is usually caused by the consumption of more food than is required for producing enough energy for daily activities. There is ongoing research into how much obesity is due to genetics and how much to environmental factors. Hunger and satiety appear to be controlled by peptide messengers, encoded by specific genes and acting on the brain; an example is *leptin. Treatment includes traditional weight reduction diets; surgery, such as gastric banding or gastric bypass; and drug treatment (*orlistat). Obesity is now seen as the precursor of lethal conditions such as cancer and diabetes, making it a global public health issue. —obese adj.... obesity
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