IL6 and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: This finding is similar to a study by Christin and Porter who reported that obesity predicted higher serum IL-6 at four to six weeks postpartum in a sample of 57 women in the U.S. [Christian 2014 26] Likewise, a study of non-postpartum, healthy African American women noted that higher serum IL-6 was positively associated with BMI [30].