title: The Effects of Leptin on Breastfeeding Behaviour.
abstract: Breastfed infants have a reduced risk of becoming overweight and/or obese later in life. This protective effect has been partly attributed to leptin present in breastmilk. This study investigated 24-h variations of skim milk leptin and its relationship with breastmilk macronutrients and infant breastfeeding patterns. Exclusive breastfeeding mothers of term singletons (n = 19; age 10 ± 5 weeks) collected pre- and post-feed breastmilk samples for every breastfeed over a 24-h period and test-weighed their infants to determine milk intake at every breastfeed over a 24-h period. Samples (n = 454) were analysed for leptin, protein, lactose and fat content. Skim milk leptin concentration did not change with feeding (p = 0.184). However, larger feed volumes (>105 g) were associated with a decrease in post-feed leptin levels (p = 0.009). There was no relationship between the change in leptin levels and change in protein (p = 0.313) or lactose levels (p = 0.587) between pre- and post-feed milk, but there was a trend for a positive association with changes in milk fat content (p = 0.056). Leptin concentration significantly increased at night (p < 0.001) indicating a possible 24-h pattern. Leptin dose (ng) was not associated with the time between feeds (p = 0.232). Further research should include analysis of whole breastmilk and other breastmilk fractions to extend these findings.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia. anna.cannon@research.uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cannon
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia. foteini.kakulas@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Foteini
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kakulas
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia. anna.hepworth@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Anna R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Hepworth
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia. ching-tat.lai@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Ching Tat
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia. peter.hartmann@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Peter E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia. donna.geddes@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Donna T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Geddes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007785:Lactose / Q000032:analysis; D020738:Leptin / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008894:Milk Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D009035:Mothers
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D008894:Milk Proteins; D007785:Lactose
keywords: appetite regulation; breast milk; breastfeeding; human milk; lactation; leptin