Ghrelin and Obestatin in Infants, Lactating Mothers and Breast Milk

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the role of ghrelin and obestatin in infancy. Methods: We measured ghrelin and obestatin concentrations in blood samples of infants, lactating mothers, and in breast milk. Results: The median (interquartile range) serum ghrelin concentrations were 922.11 (868.44) pg/ml in infants, 667.88 (942.78) pg/ml in lactating mothers, and 526.4 (439.86) pg/ml in breast milk. The serum obestatin levels were 844.87 (805.14) pg/ml in infants, 759.105 (855.55) pg/ml in lactating mothers, and 846.6 (472.07) pg/ml in breast milk. A positive correlation was found for serum ghrelin concentrations in breastfed infants and lactating mothers (p < 0.001, r = 0.789), serum ghrelin concentrations in breastfed infants and in breast milk (p < 0.001, r = 0.581), serum ghrelin concentrations in lactating mothers and in breast milk (p = 0.021, r = 0.450), and serum obestatin concentrations in breastfed infants and in lactating mothers (p = 0.047, r = 0.609). Conclusion: We report for the first time the serum obestatin concentrations in infants and confirm the presence of correlations between ghrelin and obestatin in lactating mothers and breast milk. The correlations found early in infants’ life, when hormones begin to exert their effects on feeding behavior, suggest that they may be involved in these processes.

The Study of Breast Milk IGF-1, Leptin, Ghrelin and Adiponectin Levels as Possible Reasons of High Weight Gain in Breast-Fed Infants

“…Our data are consistent with the data of other researchers [7,12,14,22,24,29], who also demonstrated the presence of IGF-1, leptin, ghrelin and adiponectin in breast milk and confirm their hypothesis that these breast milk proteins can play a role in the regulation of feeding behavior and energy homeostasis of breast-fed infants. Indeed, in our study, the infants in the high weight gain group, who were fed with breast milk with high hormone levels, consumed significantly more breast milk than the infants with low weight gain and had the highest growth rate.…”

“…Ghrelin is synthesized primarily in the stomach, and its main property is the stimulation of food intake; ghrelin has been detected in term and preterm human breast milk [22]. A positive correlation was found for serum ghrelin concentrations in breast-fed infants and breast milk (r = 0.581, p < 0.001) as well as serum ghrelin concentrations in breast-fed infants and lactating mothers (r = 0.789, p < 0.001) [22], suggesting that it may play a role in the development of neuroendocrine pathways regulating appetite and energy homeostasis in early life [23] .…”

“…A positive correlation was found for serum ghrelin concentrations in breast-fed infants and breast milk (r = 0.581, p < 0.001) as well as serum ghrelin concentrations in breast-fed infants and lactating mothers (r = 0.789, p < 0.001) [22], suggesting that it may play a role in the development of neuroendocrine pathways regulating appetite and energy homeostasis in early life [23] . In our study, at 1 and 2 months of life, we observed higher levels of ghrelin in the breast milk consumed by the infants with a high growth rate compared to the breast milk consumed by the infants with low and normal weight gain, and at 1 month of life these differences were significant.…”

Maternal Characteristics Associated with Milk Leptin Content in a Sample of Filipino Women and Associations with Infant Weight for Age

“…However, although the correlation between BMI and milk leptin levels is consistent, there appears to be greater sensitivity of milk leptin to changes in maternal adiposity at the lower end of the distribution. [26][27][28] These metabolic hormones in human milk have been hypothesized to contribute to infant developmental plasticity, specifically altering metabolic development 7,8 and possibly contributing to the decreased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and related metabolic conditions commonly reported for breastfed infants. Infants receiving milk with more leptin have lower body weights and BMI.…”

Role of Breastfeeding in Preventing Long-Term Metabolic Disorders: Review

“…Корреляции были обнаружены между концентрациями грелина в сыворотке крови и грудном молоке матери, а также в сыворотке крови младенца; предполагается, что грудное молоко является источником грелина для ребенка [50].…”