Amylin levels linked to a leaner body type after fat-removal surgery

In patients undergoing subcutaneous fat-removal procedures, higher blood amylin was associated with a greater likelihood of a lean phenotype (lowest third of body-fat%). This association weakened when leptin, GIP, or spexin were high, suggesting leanness reflects a hormone network, not a single signal.

Obesity—quick introduction:

Obesity is a chronic disease of excess body fat that raises the risk of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease. Fat tissue acts as an endocrine organ, releasing adipokines such as leptin that shape appetite and energy use. Gut–pancreas hormones—including incretins and amylin—add further control, but how these systems work together in people is still being mapped.

Researchers used body-contouring surgery (removal of subcutaneous fat) as a window into endocrine regulation. Participants—some with prior bariatric surgery—were evaluated before, 2–3 weeks after, and 6–10 weeks after surgery. Blood levels of amylin, leptin, GIP, and spexin (multiplex/ELISA) were measured alongside body-composition changes.

Key finding:

Higher amylin correlated with membership in the lean phenotype group even after accounting for prior bariatric surgery and other hormones. By contrast, higher leptin, GIP, or spexin raised the threshold at which amylin's favorable association with leanness appeared. After surgery, body fat declined, but leptin sensitivity did not improve immediately, indicating delayed hormonal adaptation.

Why it matters:

Pinpointing hormonal predictors of leanness can improve follow-up after fat-loss procedures and guide amylin-centered or combination therapies. Because amylin regulates appetite and gastric emptying—and approved amylin analogs already exist—these data support testing precision, multi-hormone approaches (e.g., pairing amylin with strategies that address leptin resistance or GIP tone). The work also advances understanding of mechanisms by framing obesity as an interacting hormone network.

Limitations:

The analysis is associational (not causal), follow-up was short (to 6–10 weeks), the cohort was specific (body-contouring patients, some post-bariatric), and only a subset of hormones was profiled.

What's next:

Larger, longer studies and interventional trials should test durability and generalizability, and evaluate whether baseline hormone profiles can personalize amylin-based combinations.

More information:

Mohamed Badie Ahmed et al, Hormonal predictors of the insulin sensitive phenotype in humans. Biomol Biomed [Internet]. 2025 Apr. 7 [cited 2025 Oct. 14];25(8):1773–1779.

Available from: https://doi.org/10.17305/bb.2025.12210

Journal information: Biomolecules and Biomedicine

Provided by: Association of Basic Medical Sciences of FBIH

Provided by Association of Basic Medical Sciences of FBIH