Abstract
The leptin to fat ratio early in life could contribute to fixing the set point of leptin feedback at the hypothalamic level. Subjects from Asian and Caucasian ethnicities differ in body composition. We tested the hypothesis that anthropometric markers and their relationship to umbilical cord leptin, cortisol and cortisone, DHEAs and oestriol differed between Caucasians and Asians at birth. Birthweight, length, arm, calf and abdominal circumferences, scapular, triceps, quadriceps and abdominal skinfolds were measured in 180 healthy, full-term newborns of Asian and Caucasian ethnicities. Leptin and steroid hormone concentrations were determined in umbilical cord plasma. There was a significant difference in the slope of the regression between leptin and birthweight (p = 0.03) and calf circumference (p = 0.05) between male Caucasian and Asian neonates. In contrast, in female neonates, there was no significant difference (p = 0.099 and p = 0.07 for birthweight and calf circumference, respectively). In addition, while the slopes of the regression plots were not affected by gender in Asian newborns, there was a significant difference between male and female Caucasian newborns (p = 0.006 and p = 0.002 for birthweight and calf circumference, respectively). There was no significant correlation between cord leptin concentrations or anthropometric markers and steroid hormone concentrations. In conclusion, gender and ethnic differences in the relationship between leptin and anthropometric markers are detectable at birth between Asians and Caucasians, two ethnic groups that have been demonstrated to have different body compositions later in life. This may represent the first clinical evidence of a difference in leptin regulation between these two ethnic groups.
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Abbreviations
- BMI:
-
body mass index
- DHEAs:
-
dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate
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Acknowledgements
We thank the nurses of the delivery room at Children's and Women's Hospital for their assistance in the collection of the cord-blood samples and the technicians of the endocrine laboratory for processing the hormonal samples. The expert statistical help from Lee Shean Er, Statistician, British Columbia's Cardiac Registry at St-Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, is also gratefully acknowledged.
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Yeung, L., Wong, A., Wang, X. et al. Different Relationship Between Anthropometric Markers and Umbilical Cord Plasma Leptin in Asian and Caucasian Neonates. Pediatr Res 53, 1019–1024 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1203/01.PDR.0000067140.75177.ED
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/01.PDR.0000067140.75177.ED
