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Gestational glucose tolerance and cord blood leptin levels predict slower weight gain in early infancy

Margaret Parker1, Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman, Mandy B Belfort

  • 1Division of Newborn Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. margaret.parker@childrens.harvard.edu

The Journal of Pediatrics
|September 22, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal factors like higher neonatal leptin and gestational diabetes predict slower infant weight gain. These findings suggest the intrauterine hormonal environment influences early growth and potential later obesity.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Endocrinology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
  • Identifying early predictors of infant growth is crucial for prevention strategies.
  • Prenatal and perinatal factors are increasingly recognized for their role in infant development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if known predictors of childhood obesity also forecast weight gain in early infancy.
  • To analyze the association between specific maternal and infant factors and infant weight change.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study of 690 infants (Project Viva).
  • Measurement of infant length and weight at birth and 6 months.
  • Multivariable linear regression to assess factors influencing weight-for-length z-score (WFL-z) change from 0 to 6 months.

Main Results:

  • Mean WFL-z change was 0.23 (1.11) from birth to 6 months.
  • Higher birth weight-for-gestational age z-score, cord blood leptin, and gestational diabetes were associated with slower WFL-z gain.
  • Specifically, each unit increase in birth weight-for-gestational age z-score, per 10 ng/mL increase in cord blood leptin, and having gestational diabetes predicted slower weight gain.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated neonatal leptin and gestational diabetes mellitus are linked to reduced weight gain in the first six months of life.
  • The intrauterine hormonal environment may significantly shape early infant growth trajectories.
  • These early growth patterns could potentially influence the risk of developing obesity later in life.
Abstract

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