| Abstract: | Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) are suited to study the effects of both an exceedingly low and high leptin secretion on energy expenditure and metabolism, because their serum leptin levels are below the reference range of healthy controls during the acute stage and above the reference range upon short‐term weight restoration. In this study we determined body weight, temperature, pulse, blood pressure, body composition, blood cell counts, serum levels of thyroid hormones (fT3 and fT4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and leptin and resting energy expenditure (REE) during inpatient treatment of a 14‐year old female with AN. Most variables increased over the 33‐week observation period. REE as measured with indirect calorimetry increased by 55 per cent from 780 to 1210 kcal/day. REE corrected for lean body mass (LBM) increased by 17 per cent. We conclude that the increased leptin secretion during weight gain possibly contributes to some of the observed phenomena. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. |
