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The role of leptin in human growth and puberty
Author(s) -
Ong KKL,
Ahmed ML,
Dunger DB
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1999.tb14413.x
Subject(s) - leptin , weight gain , medicine , endocrinology , appetite , obesity , sexual maturity , body weight
Experimental animal studies demonstrate the effects of leptin on appetite, weight gain and metabolism. The biological effects of leptin in human adults are still to be determined, but recent reports show that congenital leptin deficiency leads to hyperphagia and excessive weight gain from early infancy as well as failure of pubertal onset in adolescence. Our recently reported data from two longitudinal cohorts suggest a role for leptin in the normal regulation of childhood weight gain, maturation and the development of secondary sexual features and body composition. Low leptin levels in cord blood closely reflected decreased adiposity at birth and stringly predicted high rates of weight gain in infancy and cath‐up growth. In adolescents, leptin levels rose gradually with age prior to puberty, suggesting that a threshold effect may trigger puberty. In girls, low leptin levels at the start of puberty predicted large gains in the percentage of fat mass, perhaps suggesting a role in the preparation for childbearing.