A recent study conducted in Boston has revealed that high levels of leptin, the energy regulating hormone, could be linked to reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease. As per the researchers, if the findings are confirmed, these could lead to important cues in the search for effective therapies to prevent, control and treat the disease.

The hormone, discovered in the mid-1990s, is associated with regulation of hunger and weight, and is produced by the body's fat cells. But now researchers are finding more and more evidence to support that the hormone could have a role to play in brain development and memory.

For the sake of study, elderly people were followed for up-to 15 years post measuring their blood leptin levels. It was then discovered that people with the lowest leptin concentration in blood were as much as 4 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's, as compared to those with high levels.

"Our study raises a strong possibility that leptin may actually have a role in the various pathological processes that result in clinical Alzheimer's disease", said Senior Researcher Sudha Seshadri, MD, of Boston University School of Medicine.