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Influence of leptin on changes in body fat during growth in African American and white children

M S Johnson1, T T Huang, R Figueroa-Colon

  • 1Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA.

Obesity Research
|October 12, 2001
PubMed

Insights

High initial fasting leptin levels in children predict increased body fat gain over time, suggesting potential leptin resistance. This finding highlights early indicators of childhood obesity development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Obesity Research
  • Human Physiology

Background:

  • Leptin, a key hormone in regulating appetite and metabolism, plays a crucial role in energy balance.
  • Understanding the relationship between leptin levels and body fat accumulation in children is vital for addressing the rising rates of childhood obesity.
  • Previous research has explored leptin's role, but longitudinal data on its predictive power for fat mass changes in diverse pediatric populations is still developing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between initial fasting leptin levels and temporal changes in body-fat mass among children.
  • To determine if longitudinal changes in fasting leptin levels correlate with changes in body-fat mass.
  • To explore potential differences in these associations based on race, sex, or Tanner Stage.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study involving 85 children (mean age 8.1 years), with 3-6 annual visits.
  • Repeated measurements of body composition using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and fasting leptin levels.
  • Statistical analysis using SAS Proc mixed growth models on log-transformed fat mass and leptin data.

Main Results:

  • Initial fasting leptin level was a significant predictor of increased fat mass gain over time (p < 0.0001).
  • This association remained significant across racial groups (whites, p < 0.0001; African Americans, p = 0.008) and was not modified by race, sex, or Tanner Stage.
  • The rate of change in leptin correlated significantly with the rate of change in fat mass in African American children (p = 0.008) but not in white children (p = 0.490).

Conclusions:

  • Elevated fasting leptin levels at the study's onset are significantly linked to increasing body fat in children.
  • These findings suggest that children with higher initial leptin may be developing leptin resistance.
  • Early identification of high leptin levels could be a marker for future adiposity in pediatric populations.
Abstract

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