Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 24, 2026

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

Serum leptin concentration poorly reflects growth and energy and nutrient intake in young children

Maarit Hakanen1, Tapani Rönnemaa, Sanna Talvia

  • 1The Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. maarit.hakanen@utu.fi

Pediatrics
|May 4, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Early serum leptin levels in children do not reliably predict future body weight changes or reflect nutrient intake. This study found leptin concentrations at age 2 years had limited predictive power for weight trends up to age 8.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric endocrinology
  • Human nutrition
  • Growth and development

Background:

  • Leptin, a hormone regulating appetite and metabolism, plays a role in energy balance.
  • Understanding early predictors of body weight changes is crucial for public health interventions.
  • Previous research suggests potential links between leptin and childhood obesity, but early predictive capacity requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if serum leptin concentration at age 2 years predicts relative body weight changes by age 8.
  • To assess the association between serum leptin concentration at age 5 years and energy and nutrient intake in children.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of serum leptin concentrations in 156 children at age 2 years, categorized by weight change from age 2 to 8.
  • Measurement of serum leptin in 100 children at age 5 years with concurrent 4-day food records for nutrient intake analysis.
  • Statistical analysis comparing leptin levels across weight change groups and correlating leptin with nutrient intake, with and without body mass index adjustment.

Main Results:

  • Serum leptin concentrations at age 2 years were similar in boys with decreasing, stable, or increasing relative weight.
  • Girls with decreasing relative weight showed higher serum leptin at age 2 than stable weight girls, but only before BMI adjustment.
  • Serum leptin correlated with relative weight in both genders but showed poor correlation with energy and major nutrient intakes when adjusted for relative weight.

Conclusions:

  • Serum leptin concentrations at age 2 years offer limited predictive value for subsequent changes in relative body weight up to age 8.
  • Early serum leptin levels do not strongly reflect energy or major nutrient intake at age 5 years.
  • Findings suggest leptin's role in early childhood weight trajectory and dietary habits may be more complex than initially hypothesized.
Abstract

Related Concept Videos

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution01:17

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution

Drug distribution in the pediatric population exhibits unique challenges and considerations due to the physiological differences between children, particularly neonates and infants, and adults. A crucial aspect of pediatric pharmacology is understanding how these differences impact the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, necessitating age-specific dosing strategies to ensure efficacy and safety.Neonates and infants have a higher total body water content, ~75%–90% of their body weight, compared...
Regulation of Food Intake01:30

Regulation of Food Intake

Short-term regulation of food intake primarily involves neural signals from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, blood nutrient levels, and GI tract hormones. Communication between the gut and brain via vagal nerve fibers plays a significant role in evaluating the contents of the gut. Clinical studies have shown that protein ingestion produces a more prolonged response in these nerve fibers compared to an equivalent amount of glucose. Additionally, the activation of stretch receptors caused by GI...
Nature and Nurture01:10

Nature and Nurture

Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience, such as differences...
Overview of Protein Metabolism01:21

Overview of Protein Metabolism

Proteins are broken down into amino acids during digestion. Unlike fats and carbohydrates, which are stored for later use, proteins are not. Instead, amino acids are either used to produce ATP through oxidation or contribute to the creation of new proteins for the growth and repair of the body. Any surplus amino acids from the diet are converted into glucose or triglycerides rather than excreted.
Amino acids play various roles in the body once they are absorbed into cells. They are restructured...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption01:23

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption

Understanding the physiological differences in the pediatric population is crucial for effective pharmacotherapy. Neonates, infants, and children exhibit significant variations in gastric pH, gastric emptying time, intestinal transit time, and biliary function. These variations profoundly affect oral drug absorption, necessitating a nuanced approach to pediatric dosing.Neonates present with a unique physiological profile, having a gastric pH greater than 4 and faster and more irregular gastric...
Inborn Errors of Metabolism01:20

Inborn Errors of Metabolism

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a protein metabolism disorder characterized by high blood levels of the amino acid phenylalanine. This results from a mutation in the gene responsible for phenylalanine hydroxylase, an enzyme that converts phenylalanine into tyrosine. When this enzyme is deficient, phenylalanine builds up in the blood, leading to symptoms such as vomiting, rashes, seizures, growth deficiency, and severe mental retardation. An early diagnosis and a diet restricting phenylalanine intake...