LEP and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: Vast majority of earlier studies demonstrated that obesity, particularly in postmenopausal women, could be potentially protective for the skeleton due to the effects of skeletal loading by increased fat mass, increased peripheral conversion of estrogen to androgens in the adipose tissue and higher level of circulating sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) [14], leptin [15] and insulin [16], which altogether may work to stimulate osteoblast differentiation.