Breast milk is practically the only food eaten during the first months of life in fully breastfed infants and it is assumed to match the nutritional needs during these first months of postnatal life. Breastfeeding compared with infant formula feeding confers protection against several metabolic and physiological changes later on in life and, particularly, against obesity and related medical complications. Recent data from our laboratory, identifying leptin as the first specific compound responsible for these beneficial effects, are reviewed and discussed.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Ahima, R. S. and J. S. Flier (2000). “Leptin.” Annu Rev Physiol 62: 413–437.
Armstrong, J. and J. J. Reilly (2002). “Breastfeeding and lowering the risk of childhood obesity.” Lancet 359(9322): 2003–2004.
Bado, A., S. Levasseur, S. Attoub, S. Kermorgant, J. P. Laigneau, M. N. Bortoluzzi, L. Moizo, T. Lehy, M. Guerre-Millo, Y. Le Marchand-Brustel and M. J. Lewin (1998). “The stomach is a source of leptin.” Nature 394(6695): 790–793.
Barker, D. J., J. G. Eriksson, T. Forsen and C. Osmond (2002). “Fetal origins of adult disease: strength of effects and biological basis.” Int J Epidemiol 31(6): 1235–1239.
Bjorbaek, C., J. K. Elmquist, J. D. Frantz, S. E. Shoelson and J. S. Flier (1998). “Identification of SOCS-3 as a potential mediator of central leptin resistance.” Mol Cell 1(4): 619–625.
Breidert, M., S. Miehlke, A. Glasow, Z. Orban, M. Stolte, G. Ehninger, E. Bayerdorffer, O. Nettesheim, U. Halm, A. Haidan and S. R. Bornstein (1999). “Leptin and its receptor in normal human gastric mucosa and in Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis.” Scand J Gastroenterol 34(10): 954–961.
Casabiell, X., V. Pineiro, M. A. Tome, R. Peino, C. Dieguez and F. F. Casanueva (1997). “Presence of leptin in colostrum and/or breast milk from lactating mothers: a potential role in the regulation of neonatal food intake.” J Clin Endocrinol Metab 82(12): 4270–4273.
Cinti, S., R. D. Matteis, C. Pico, E. Ceresi, A. Obrador, C. Maffeis, J. Oliver and A. Palou (2000). “Secretory granules of endocrine and chief cells of human stomach mucosa contain leptin.” Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 24(6): 789–793.
Cinti, S., R. de Matteis, E. Ceresi, C. Pico, J. Oliver, P. Oliver, A. Palou, A. Obrador and C. Maffeis (2001). “Leptin in the human stomach.” Gut 49(1): 155.
Farooqi, I. S., S. A. Jebb, G. Langmack, E. Lawrence, C. H. Cheetham, A. M. Prentice, I. A. Hughes, M. A. McCamish and S. O'Rahilly (1999). “Effects of recombinant leptin therapy in a child with congenital leptin deficiency.” N Engl J Med 341(12): 879–884.
Gillman, M. W., S. L. Rifas-Shiman, C. A. Camargo, Jr., C. S. Berkey, A. L. Frazier, H. R. Rockett, A. E. Field and G. A. Colditz (2001). “Risk of overweight among adolescents who were breastfed as infants.” JAMA 285(19): 2461–2467.
Halaas, J. L., K. S. Gajiwala, M. Maffei, S. L. Cohen, B. T. Chait, D. Rabinowitz, R. L. Lallone, S. K. Burley and J. M. Friedman (1995). “Weight-reducing effects of the plasma protein encoded by the obese gene.” Science 269(5223): 543–546.
Harder, T., R. Bergmann, G. Kallischnigg and A. Plagemann (2005). “Duration of breastfeeding and risk of overweight: a meta-analysis.” Am J Epidemiol 162(5): 397–403.
Holliday, R. and J. E. Pugh (1975). “DNA modification mechanisms and gene activity during development.” Science 187(4173): 226–232.
Houseknecht, K. L., M. K. McGuire, C. P. Portocarrero, M. A. McGuire and K. Beerman (1997). “Leptin is present in human milk and is related to maternal plasma leptin concentration and adiposity.” Biochem Biophys Res Commun 240(3): 742–747.
Jirtle, R. L. and J. R. Weidman (2007). “Imprinted and more equal.” Am Sci 95: 143–149.
Kunz, C., M. Rodriguez-Palmero, B. Koletzko and R. Jensen (1999). “Nutritional and biochemical properties of human milk, Part I: general aspects, proteins, and carbohydrates.” Clin Perinatol 26(2): 307–333.
Levin, B. E. (2000). “The obesity epidemic: metabolic imprinting on genetically susceptible neural circuits.” Obes Res 8(4): 342–347.
Lucas, A. (2000). “Programming not metabolic imprinting.” Am J Clin Nutr 71(2): 602.
Maffei, M., J. Halaas, E. Ravussin, R. E. Pratley, G. H. Lee, Y. Zhang, H. Fei, S. Kim, R. Lallone, S. Ranganathan, P. A. Kern and J. M. Friedman (1995). “Leptin levels in human and rodent: measurement of plasma leptin and ob RNA in obese and weight-reduced subjects.” Nat Med 1(11): 1155–1161.
Masuzaki, H., Y. Ogawa, N. Sagawa, K. Hosoda, T. Matsumoto, H. Mise, H. Nishimura, Y. Yoshimasa, I. Tanaka, T. Mori and K. Nakao (1997). “Nonadipose tissue production of leptin: leptin as a novel placenta-derived hormone in humans.” Nat Med 3(9): 1029–1033.
Miralles, O., J. Sanchez, A. Palou and C. Pico (2006). “A physiological role of breast milk leptin in body weight control in developing infants.” Obesity (Silver Spring) 14(8): 1371–1377.
Morton, N. M., V. Emilsson, Y. L. Liu and M. A. Cawthorne (1998). “Leptin action in intestinal cells.” J Biol Chem 273(40): 26194–26201.
Novak, D. (2002). “Nutrition in early life. How important is it?” Clin Perinatol 29(2): 203–223.
Novak, D. A., M. Desai and M. G. Ross (2006). “Gestational programming of offspring obesity/ hypertension.” J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 19(10): 591–599.
O'Connor, D., V. Funanage, R. Locke, M. Spear and K. Leef (2003). “Leptin is not present in infant formulas.” J Endocrinol Invest 26(5): 490.
Oliver, P., C. Pico, R. De Matteis, S. Cinti and A. Palou (2002). “Perinatal expression of leptin in rat stomach.” Dev Dyn 223(1): 148–154.
Ong, K. K. and D. B. Dunger (2004). “Birth weight, infant growth and insulin resistance.” Eur J Endocrinol 151(Suppl 3): U131–U139.
Ostlund, R. E., Jr., J. W. Yang, S. Klein and R. Gingerich (1996). “Relation between plasma leptin concentration and body fat, gender, diet, age, and metabolic covariates.” J Clin Endocrinol Metab 81(11): 3909–3913.
Park, C. S. (2005). “Role of compensatory mammary growth in epigenetic control of gene expression.” FASEB J 19(12): 1586–1591.
Pelleymounter, M. A., M. J. Cullen, M. B. Baker, R. Hecht, D. Winters, T. Boone and F. Collins (1995). “Effects of the obese gene product on body weight regulation in ob/ob mice.” Science 269(5223): 540–543.
Pico, C., J. Sanchez, P. Oliver and A. Palou (2002). “Leptin production by the stomach is upregulated in obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats.” Obes Res 10(9): 932–938.
Pico, C., P. Oliver, J. Sanchez and A. Palou (2003). “Gastric leptin: a putative role in the shortterm regulation of food intake.” Brit J Nutr 90(4): 735–741.
Pico, C., P. Oliver, J. Sanchez, O. Miralles, A. Caimari, T. Priego and A. Palou (2007). “The intake of physiological doses of leptin during lactation in rats prevents obesity in later life.” Int J Obes (Lond) 31(8): 1199–1209.
Remacle, C., F. Bieswal and B. Reusens (2004). “Programming of obesity and cardiovascular disease.” Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 28(Suppl 3): S46–S53.
Sanchez, J., P. Oliver, O. Miralles, E. Ceresi, C. Pico and A. Palou (2005). “Leptin orally supplied to neonate rats is directly uptaken by the immature stomach and may regulate short-term feeding.” Endocrinology 146(6): 2575–2582.
Smith-Kirwin, S. M., D. M. O'Connor, J. De Johnston, E. D. Lancey, S. G. Hassink and V. L. Funanage (1998). “Leptin expression in human mammary epithelial cells and breast milk.” J Clin Endocrinol Metab 83(5): 1810–1813.
Uysal, F. K., E. E. Onal, Y. Z. Aral, B. Adam, U. Dilmen and Y. Ardicolu (2002). “Breast milk leptin: its relationship to maternal and infant adiposity.” Clin Nutr 21(2): 157–160.
Valsamakis, G., C. Kanaka-Gantenbein, A. Malamitsi-Puchner and G. Mastorakos (2006). “Causes of intrauterine growth restriction and the postnatal development of the metabolic syndrome.” Ann N Y Acad Sci 1092: 138–147.
von Kries, R., B. Koletzko, T. Sauerwald, E. von Mutius, D. Barnert, V. Grunert and H. von Voss (1999). “Breast feeding and obesity: cross sectional study.” BMJ 319(7203): 147–150.
Wang, J., R. Liu, M. Hawkins, N. Barzilai and L. Rossetti (1998). “A nutrient-sensing pathway regulates leptin gene expression in muscle and fat.” Nature 393(6686): 684–688.
Waterland, R. A. and C. Garza (1999). “Potential mechanisms of metabolic imprinting that lead to chronic disease.” Am J Clin Nutr 69(2): 179–197.
Yuan, C. S., A. S. Attele, J. A. Wu, L. Zhang and Z. Q. Shi (1999). “Peripheral gastric leptin modulates brain stem neuronal activity in neonates.” Am J Physiol 277(3 Pt 1): G626–G630.
Zhang, Y., R. Proenca, M. Maffei, M. Barone, L. Leopold and J. M. Friedman (1994). “Positional cloning of the mouse obese gene and its human homologue.” Nature 372(6505): 425–432.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science + Business Media B.V
About this paper
Cite this paper
Palou, A., Sánchez, J., Picó, C. (2009). Nutrient–Gene Interactions in Early Life Programming: Leptin in Breast Milk Prevents Obesity Later on in Life. In: Koletzko, B., Decsi, T., Molnár, D., de la Hunty, A. (eds) Early Nutrition Programming and Health Outcomes in Later Life. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 646. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9173-5_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9173-5_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-9172-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-9173-5
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)