Download PDF
Horm Metab Res 2002; 34(4): 212-216
DOI: 10.1055/s-2002-26713
Original Clinical

© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Association Between Maternal and Child Leptin Levels 9 Years After Pregnancy Complicated by Gestational Diabetes

M.  P.  Malee 1 , A.  Verma 2 , G.  Messerlian 1 , R.  Tucker 2 , B.  R.  Vohr 2
  • 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women and Infants' Hospital, Brown Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
  • 2 Department of Pathology and Pediatrics, Women and Infants' Hospital, Brown Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Further Information

Publication History

24 May 2001

26 December 2001

Publication Date:
30 April 2002 (online)

Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Obesity is a state of relative leptin resistance, and obesity in childhood is associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes in later life. Offspring of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at increased risk of obesity. A cohort consisting of 64 mothers, 33 GDM and 31 controls screened for diabetes during the index pregnancy together with their 9-year-old offspring were studied. Our hypotheses were: 1) an elevated child leptin is associated with elevated maternal leptin in GDM mothers 9 years post delivery; and 2) child leptin at 9 years serves as a marker for incipient insulin resistance. By univariate analyses, child leptins were only significantly correlated with maternal leptins among the offspring of GDMs (OGDM) (r = 0.59; p = 0.001). By multivariate analyses, child leptin for the total study group was significantly associated with child body mass index (BMI) (R2 = 0.65; p < 0.0001), child fasting insulin (R2 = 0.08; p = 0.03), and female gender (R2 = 0.28; p = 0.001). In addition, among OGDM child leptin was associated with maternal leptin (R2 = 0.14; p = 0.005). Our results suggest that there is an association between maternal and child leptin levels 9 years after a pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes.

Key words

Childhood - Leptin - Insulin Resistance - Pregnancy - Cholesterol - Body Mass Index

References

  • 1 Diamond F B, Eichler D C. Leptin: molecular biology, physiology, and relevance to pediatric practice.  Adv Pediatr. 1999;  46 51-187
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Considine R V, Sinha M K, Heiman M L, Kriauciunas A, Stephens T W, Nyce M R, Ohannesian J P, Marco C C, McKee L J, Bauer T L. Serum immunoreactive leptin concentrations in normal weight and obese subjects.  New Engl J Med. 1996;  334 292-295
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Maffei M, Volpe L, DiCianni G, Bertacca A, Ferdeghini M, Murru S, Teti G, Casadidio I, Cecchetti P, Navalesi R, Benzi L. Plasma leptin levels in newborns from normal and diabetic mothers.  Horm Metab Res. 1998;  30 575-580
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Saad M F, Khan A, Sharma A, Michael R, Riad-Gabriel M G, Boyadjian R, Jinagouda S D, Steil G M, Kamdar V. Physiologic insulinemia acutely modulates plasma leptin.  Diabetes. 1998;  47 544-549
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Boden G, Chen X, Kolacynski J W, Polanski M. Effects of prolonged hyperinsulinemia on serum leptin in normal human subjects.  J Clin Invest. 1997;  100 1103-1107
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Persson B, Westgren M, Celsi G, Nord E, Ortqvist E. Leptin concentrations in cord blood in normal newborn infants and offspring of diabetic mothers.  Horm Metab Res. 1999;  31 467-471
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Byrnes S E, Baur L A, Bermingham M, Brock K, Steinbeck K. Leptin and total cholesterol are predictors of weight gain in prepubertal children.  Int J Obes Relat Metab Disor. 1999;  23 146-150
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Vauhkonen I, Niskanen L, Haffler S, Kainulainen S, Uusitupa M, Laasko M. Insulin resistant phenotype is associated with high serum leptin levels in offspring of patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes.  Eur J Endocrinol. 1998;  139 598-604
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Vohr B R, McGarvey S T, Garcia Coll C. Effects of maternal gestational diabetes and adiposity on neonatal adiposity and blood pressure.  Diabetes Care. 1995;  18 467-475
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Vohr B R, McGarvey S T, Tucker R. Effects of maternal gestational diabetes on offspring adiposity at 4 - 7 years of age.  Diabetes Care. 1999;  22 1284-1291
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Buchner A, Erdfelder E, Faul F. GPOWER: A general power analysis program.  Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers. 1996;  28 1-11
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Kirel B, Tekin N, Tekin B, Kilic F S, Dogruel N, Aydogdu S D. 2000 Cord blood leptin levels: relationship to body weight, body mass index, sex and insulin and cortisol levels of maternal-infant pairs at delivery.  J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2000;  13 71-77
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Yang S W, Kim S Y. The relationship of the levels of leptin, insulin-like growth factor-I and insulin in cord blood with birth size, ponderal index and gender difference.  J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2000;  13 289-296
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Gross G A, Solenberger T, Philpott T, Holcomb W L, Landt M. Plasma leptin concentrations in newborns of diabetic and nondiabetic mothers.  Am J Perinatol. 1998;  15 243-247
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Ong K K, Ahmed M L, Dunger D B. The role of leptin in human growth and puberty.  Acta Pediatr Suppl. 1999;  88 95-98
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Caprio S, Tamborlane W V, Silver D. Hyperleptinemia: an early sign of juvenile obesity. Relations to body fat depots and insulin concentrations.  Am J Physiol. 1996;  271 E626-E630
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Masuzaki H, Ogawa Y, Isse N, Satoh N, Okazaki T, Shigemoto M, Mori K, Tamura N, Hosoda K, Yoshimasa Y. Human obese gene expression. Adipocyte-specific expression and regional differences in the adipose tissue.  Diabetes. 1995;  44 855-858
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Maffei M, Fei H, Lee G H, Dani C, Leroy P, Zhang Y, Proenca R, Negrel R, Ailhaud G, Friedman J M. Increased expression in adipocytes of ob RNA in mice with lesions of the hypothalamus and with mutations at the db locus.  Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1995;  92 6957-6960
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Hassink S G, deLancey E, Sheslow D V, Smith-Kirwin S M, O'Connor D M, Considine R V, Opentanova I, Dostal K, Spear M L, Leef K, Ash M, Spitzer A R, Funanage V L. Placental leptin: an important new growth factor in intrauterine and neonatal development?.  Pediatrics. 1997;  100 E1
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 Ambrosius W T, Compton J A, Bowsher R R, Pratt J H. Relation of race, age and sex hormone differences to serum leptin concentrations in children and adolescents.  Horm Res. 1998;  49 240-246
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Quinton N D, Smith R F, Clayton P E, Gill M S, Shalet S, Justice S K, Simon S A, Walters S, Postel-Vinay M C, Blakemore A I, Ross R J. Leptin binding activity changes with age: the link between leptin and puberty.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1999;  84 2336-2341
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Salbe A D, Nicolson M, Ravussin E. Total energy expenditure and the level of physical activity correlate with plasma leptin concentrations in five-year old children.  J Clin Invest. 1997;  99 592-595
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Kellerer M, Rett K, Renn W, Groop L, Haring H U. Circulating TNF-alpha and leptin levels in offspring of NIDDM patients do not correlate to individual insulin sensitivity.  Horm Metab Res. 1996;  28 737-743
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Kamoda T, Saitoh H, Nakahara S, Izumi I, Hirano T, Matsui A. Serum leptin and insulin concentrations in lean, obese and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus children.  Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1998;  49 385-389
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Echwald S M, Clausen J O, Hansen T, Urhammer S A, Hansen L, Dinesen B, Borch-Johnsen K. Analysis of the relationship between fasting serum leptin levels and estimates of beta cell function and insulin sensitivity in a population sample of 380 healthy young Caucasians.  Eur J Endocrinol. 1999;  140 180-185
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 Saladin R, Staels B, Auwerx J, Briggs M. Regulation of ob gene expression in rodents and humans.  Horm Metab Res. 1996;  28 638-641
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 27 Narkiewicz K, Szezech R, Winnicki M, Chrostowska M, Pawlowski R, Lysiak-Szydlowska W, Choe I, Kato M, Sivitz W I, Krupa-Wojciechowska B, Somers V K. Heritability of plasma leptin levels: a twin study.  J Hypertens. 1999;  17 27-31
    PubMedGoogle Scholar

M. P. Malee, M.D., Ph.D.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women and Infants' Hospital ·

101 Dudley Street · Providence, Rhode Island · USA ·

Phone: + 1 (401) 274-1122, ext. 2344 ·

Fax: + 1 (401) 453-7622

      >