title: Body weight gain and serum leptin levels of non-overweight and overweight/obese pregnant women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our objective was to evaluate changes in serum leptin levels during pregnancy in overweight/obese and non-obese women and to assess total and percent weight gain during pregnancy as possible factors that influence leptin levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a prospective study of 42 low-risk pregnant women receiving prenatal care, we assessed serum leptin levels at gestational weeks 9-12, 25-28, and 34-37. Based on their pre-pregnancy body mass indices (BMIs), the cohort was divided into: non-overweight (BMI <25 kg/m(2)) and overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2)) subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a progressive increase in maternal weight gain during pregnancy in both groups. There was also a progressive increase in leptin levels in the 2 strata; however, the increase was significantly higher in the non-overweight patient group. We found that non-overweight pregnant women had a noticeably larger total weight gain. When analyzing the percent weight gain during pregnancy compared to the pre-pregnancy weight, the non-overweight group had a significantly greater percent weight gain than the overweight/obese group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the greater increase in leptin levels in non-overweight pregnant women can be explained by the higher percent weight gain in this group compared to overweight/obese women. These findings suggest that controlling the percent weight gain may be an important preventive measure when controlling leptin levels during pregnancy and subsequent medical complications.
authors.forename: Didier Silveira
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Castellano Filho
authors.forename: José Otávio
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: do Amaral Correa
authors.forename: Plínio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dos Santos Ramos
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Montessi
authors.forename: Beatriz Julião Vieira
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Aarestrup
authors.forename: Fernando Monteiro
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Aarestrup
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000886:Anthropometry; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin