This paper from Turkey claims to be the first study dealing with the relationship between leptin and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). I remember leptin being a fashionable topic in obesity research, when leptin deficiency was thought to be an aetiological factor in obesity. Who could forget those photos of obese, leptin-deficient white mice? So what is its relevance to hearing loss? Leptin is a proinflammatory cytokine secreted mainly from adipocytes, is responsible for the regulation of energy metabolism and raises the sensation of satiety by acting on the hypothalamus. It is a member of the IL-6 cytokine subgroup and its effects on body weight and energy metabolism are mediated by receptors in the central and peripheral nervous system. The authors explain that they were looking for a relationship between IL-6 cytokines and ISSHL in order to identify potential treatment options. Their results, from 33 patients with BMI <30 and ISSHL, indicated that serum leptin levels in the ISSHL patients were not different from un-matched controls.