No Effect of Smoking on Plasma Leptin Concentration in Pregnant Women and their Neonates

Abstract 188

Background Leptin is a hormone produced in adipose tissue and placenta with potential importance for energy metabolism and growth. We investigated the effect of cigarette smoking on maternal plasma leptin concentration (p-leptin) in pregnant women, and on p-leptin and weight among infants up to 13 weeks of age. Materials and Methods P-leptin was measured in week 18 and 35 of pregnancy, and in plasma from the umbilical cord and from 4 and 13 weeks old infants. Results (Table) At birth, neonates of smoking mothers had lower weights than neonates of nonsmoking mothers (3.4±0.5 kg vs. 3.7±0.5 kg, p<0.01), but at 13 weeks of age, there was no difference in weight (6.4±0.9 kg vs. 6.4±0.7 kg. n.s). Conclusion Our results indicate that growth restriction of neonates of smoking mothers is not due to altered p-leptin.

Table 1 No caption available.

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