Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Pre- and postnatal factors have an influence on obesity the first year of life. Among them maternal glucose levels, breastfeeding, ablactation and recently sleep duration are under study in diverse populations.

Methods: In a prospective study, we recruited 139 pregnant women and obtained fasting and post-load (75 g) glucose levels. We studied children robustness (waist girth/height) at 6 months and one year of age, and the influence of altered fasting and post-load glucose levels at 6 months of pregnancy, breastfeeding, ablactation, and duration of sleep, leptin and insulin levels.

Results: Altered glucose levels (fasting ≥100, <126 mg/dl or post-load ≥140,<200) were found in 21 women. Their children, compared with those from mothers without altered glucose did not have significantly different anthropometric measures at birth, at 6 months or at 1 year of age. At 6 months leptin levels were associated with the mother’s fasting glucose at pregnancy (P<0.000001). At this time, duration of breastfeeding was negatively correlated with waist girdle/height index (P<0.00001) and with leptin (P<0.00002) and insulin levels (P<0.000001), but these associations were not maintained at 1 year of age. Ablactation was associated with insulin levels at 6 months (P<0.00007) and with the waist girdle/height index at one year of age (P<0.0001). We interpreted that the effects of breastfeeding and early ablactation under our conditions have protective effect against obesity. Duration of sleep was associated with the robustness index negatively at 1 year of age (P<0.002), but positively at 6 months (<0.0044). These results suggest that sleep duration the first 6 months of age is related to different metabolic influences than at later months.

Conclusions: We concluded that limited alteration of glucose levels at pregnancy may influence children’s adiposity. Breastfeeding, ablactation and sleep have influences on children robustness during the first year of life.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This work was supported, however funding details unavailable.