Chiang JM, et al. - In view of the assumption that fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) may be involved in signaling between bone and adipose tissue in dialysis patients, researchers investigated the association between FGF-23 and adiposity. In addition, they assessed if this association is mediated in part by leptin. A negative correlation was identified between FGF-23 and adiposity that appeared to be mediated in part by leptin. A decrease in adipose tissue could be a mechanism in which higher FGF-23 levels might contribute to increased mortality in dialysis patients because, for patients with chronic illness, adipose tissue provides a “protective energy depot”.