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Do birth variable data predict melatonin production in 8- to 9-year-old children? Analysis of excreted
Barbara Griefahn1, Meinolf Blaszkewicz, Peter Bröde
1Institute for Occupational Physiology at Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany. griefahn@ifado.de
Hypotheses:
A cross-sectional study on urinary excretion of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT.6S) in young adults suggests a relation between melatonin production and body size at birth. As individual melatonin production remains stable during childhood and adolescence, this melatonin-birth size relation should also exist in children.
Methods:
Daily urinary output of aMT.6S of 147 healthy white children (78 boys, 69 girls), 8 or 9 years of age, was quantified by ELISA and related to birth variable data.
Results:
Contrary to expectation, aMT.6S output was not related to the ponderal index at birth but a moderate positive association with body mass index at the age of 8-9 years was seen.
Conclusion:
This study in children contradicts previous findings in adults. As no obvious reason can be identified for this discrepancy, further research (particularly a longitudinal study) is recommended to clarify whether birth variable data may predict melatonin production in certain circumstances during or after puberty.
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