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Resistin and leptin in breast milk and infants in early life

Francesco Savino1, Miriam Sorrenti, Stefania Benetti

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, University of Turin, Regina Margherita Children's Hospital, Italy. francesco.savino@unito.it

Early Human Development
|May 30, 2012
PubMed

Insights

This study found that infant serum resistin levels correlate with breast milk resistin and that resistin and leptin levels are positively associated in infants. These findings highlight the relationship between maternal and infant adipokine levels.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Endocrinology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Adipokines play a crucial role in infant development.
  • Understanding adipokine profiles in early life is vital for nutritional research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess serum resistin and leptin concentrations in infants.
  • To investigate the relationship between these adipokines in infants and breast milk.

Main Methods:

  • 41 healthy term infants (23 breast-fed, 18 formula-fed) under 6 months were studied.
  • Serum and breast milk samples were analyzed for resistin and leptin using ELISA and radioimmunoassay.
  • Infant anthropometrics were measured; statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney and Spearman correlation.

Main Results:

  • Infant serum resistin was 9.30 ng/ml, breast milk resistin was 0.18 ng/ml.
  • Infant serum leptin was 3.04 ng/ml, breast milk leptin was 2.34 ng/ml.
  • Positive correlations were observed between serum and breast milk resistin in breast-fed infants, and between resistin and leptin in all infants.

Conclusions:

  • Infant serum resistin positively correlates with breast milk resistin.
  • A positive association exists between resistin and leptin concentrations in infants.
  • No correlation was found between these adipokines and infant anthropometric parameters.
Abstract

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