Appetite-regulating hormones in early life and relationships with type of feeding and body composition in healthy term infants

Abstract

Introduction Body composition in early life influences development of obesity during childhood and beyond. Appetite-regulating hormones (ARH) play a role in regulation of food intake and might thus influence body composition in later life. Studies on associations between ARH and body composition in early life are limited.MethodsIn 197 healthy term infants, we measured serum fasting levels of ghrelin, leptin, insulin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and peptide YY (PYY) at 3 months and in 41 infants also at 6 months and their associations with type of feeding and longitudinal fat mass percentage (FM%) measured by air displacement plethysmography at 1, 3 and 6 months and abdominal visceral and subcutaneous fat, measured by ultrasound, at 3 and 6 months.ResultsInfants with formula feeding for 3 months had significantly higher serum levels of ghrelin, leptin, insulin, GIP and PP (p = 0.026, p = 0.018, p = 0.002, p < 0.001, resp.) and lower serum levels of PYY (p = 0.002) at 3 months than breastfed infants. Leptin and ghrelin correlated positively with FM% at 3 months and insulin with change in FM% between 1 and 3 months (r = 0.40, p < 0.001, r = 0.23, p < 0.05, r = 0.22, p < 0.01, resp.). Leptin at 3 months correlated with subcutaneous fat at 3 months (r = 0.23, p < 0.001), but not with visceral fat. Other ARH did not correlate with body composition.ConclusionFormula-fed infants had a different profile of ARH than breastfed infants, suggesting that lower levels of ghrelin, leptin and insulin in breastfed infants contribute to the protective role of breastfeeding against obesity development. Leptin, ghrelin and insulin were associated with fat mass percentage or its changes.

Serum concentration of appetite‐regulating hormones of mother–infant dyad according to the type of feeding

“…Our results regarding the serum concentrations of leptin and peptide YY in infants with the three types of feeding were higher than those reported by Breij et al (2017). There were no differences in the serum concentration of total ghrelin and leptin among the three infant groups.…”

“…It is known that the peripheral melanocortin 4 receptor, which has an essential role in energy regulation, is implicated in the regulation of GLP-1 and peptide YY (Breij et al, 2017;Choudhury, Tan, & Bloom, 2016). It is known that the peripheral melanocortin 4 receptor, which has an essential role in energy regulation, is implicated in the regulation of GLP-1 and peptide YY (Breij et al, 2017;Choudhury, Tan, & Bloom, 2016).…”

“…It is accepted that satiety and appetite-stimulating hormones play a role in the regulation of food intake and body composition by signaling satiety and energy reserves through hypothalamic receptors, during and after the lactation stage (Marić et al, 2014;Münzberg & Morrison, 2015). Appetite-stimulating hormones, such as ghrelin, are important in the initiation, cessation, and frequency of eating (Breij, Mulder, van Vark-van der Zee, & Hokken-Koelega, 2017). Satietyregulating hormones, such as leptin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and peptide YY, decrease food intake, promote satiety, decrease the desire to eat, and increase the metabolic rate (Schueler, Alexander, Hart, Austin, & Larson-Meyer, 2013).…”

Appetite‐regulating hormones and anthropometric indicators of infants according to the type of feeding

“…Some of the observed results could be related to the physiological functions and mechanisms of action of these ARHs both in the gastrointestinal tract and in the CNS. It is known that the peripheral melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R), which has an essential role in energy regulation, is implicated in the regulation of peptide YY and GLP‐1 (Breij et al, ; Choudhury, Tan, & Bloom, ). Peptide YY is a short peptide (36 amino acids) secreted by the neuroendocrine cells of the ileum and colon in response to feeding.…”

“…In relation to ARHs, similarities and important differences were also observed between infants receiving FBF and those receiving PBF and HMS. In the case of ghrelin, a potent orexigenic, its concentration in infants appears to be more related to the need to be GLP-1 (Breij et al, 2017;Choudhury, Tan, & Bloom, 2016). Peptide YY is a short peptide (36 amino acids) secreted by the neuroendocrine cells of the ileum and colon in response to feeding.…”