Pediatric Obesity

Differential associations of leptin with adiposity across early childhood

  1. Caroline E. Boeke1,2,3,†,*,
  2. Christos S. Mantzoros4,
  3. Michael D. Hughes5,
  4. Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman6,
  5. Eduardo Villamor1,2,7,
  6. Chloe A. Zera8,
  7. Matthew W. Gillman2,6

DOI: 10.1002/oby.20314

Additional Information

Author Information

  1. 1

    Departments of Epidemiology MA

  2. 2

    Departments of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA

  3. 3

    Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA

  4. 4

    Boston VA Healthcare System and Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

  5. 5

    Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA

  6. 6

    Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA

  7. 7

    Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI

  8. 8

    Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

  1. †

    Fax: + 1 617-525-2008. Telephone: + 1 617-525-2102

*Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA

  1. †

    Fax: + 1 617-525-2008. Telephone: + 1 617-525-2102

Publication History

  1. Accepted manuscript online: 14 FEB 2013 07:14AM EST
  2. Manuscript Accepted: 6 DEC 2012
  3. Manuscript Revised: 28 NOV 2012
  4. Manuscript Received: 1 OCT 2012

Funded by

  • National Institutes of Health. Grant Numbers: K24 HL 068041, R01 HD 034568, T32 CA 09001

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Keywords:

  • leptin;
  • body mass index (BMI);
  • children

Abstract

Objective:

We examined associations of perinatal and 3-year leptin with weight gain and adiposity through 7 years.

Design and Methods:

In Project Viva, we assessed plasma leptin from mothers at 26-28 weeks' gestation (n=893), umbilical cord vein at delivery (n=540), and children at 3 years (n=510) in relation to body mass index (BMI) z-score, waist circumference, skinfold thicknesses, and dual X-ray absorptiometry body fat.

Results:

50.1% of children were male and 29.5% non-white. Mean(SD) maternal, cord, and age 3 leptin concentrations were 22.9(14.2), 8.8(6.4), and 1.8(1.7) ng/mL, respectively, and 3- and 7-year BMI z-scores were 0.46(1.00) and 0.35(0.97), respectively. After adjusting for parental and child characteristics, higher maternal and cord leptin was associated with less 3- year adiposity. For example, mean 3-year BMI z-score was 0.5 lower (95%CI:-0.7,-0.2; p-trend=0.003) among children whose mothers' leptin concentrations were in the top vs. bottom quintile. In contrast, higher age 3 leptin was associated with greater weight gain and adiposity through age 7 [e.g., change in BMI z-score from 3 to 7 years was 0.2 units (95%CI:-0.0,0.4; p-trend=0.05)].

Conclusions:

Higher perinatal leptin was associated with lower 3-year adiposity, whereas higher age 3 leptin was associated with greater weight gain and adiposity by 7 years.

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