Lepeptin In Breast Milk And Maternal Blood Serum And Its Relation To The Anthropometric Measurements Of Infants

The intrauterine environment and early life nutrition can affect the body composition and growth pattern of an individual, that is to say, their metabolic programming. Such programming is influenced by exclusive breastfeeding, this is because breast milk contains hormones that regulate the growth and maturity of an infant. One such hormone is leptin, which is involved in regulating appetite, satiety and body weight. Leptin concentrations were determined, through the ELISA method, in the maternal serum and mature milk of 20 mothers practicing exclusive breastfeeding. These concentrations were then related to the anthropometric measurements of their children during the first six months of life. Leptin concentrations in mature milk remained constant, whereas they decreased in serum. It was no possible to establish a positive correlation between leptin and the anthropometric development of infants in the first six months of life. Serum leptin concentrations were significantly higher when compared with mature milk (p<0.05). Overweight women registered the highest concentrations of serum leptin. A positive correlation was observed between the concentration of leptin in serum and the mother's BMI (p<0.05)). From the results of this study, it is possible to conclude that leptin is present in mature human milk, that it is produced in the mammary gland, and that there's no significant transfer from the serum to the milk.