Comparison of the serum concentration of appetite regulating hormones in the mother‐child dyad according to the type of feeding. Preliminary data
Authors: Vasquez‐Garibay Edgar M , Larrosa‐Haro Alfredo , García‐Arellano Samuel , Guzmán‐Mercado Elizabeth , Muñoz‐Esparza Nelly , Muñoz‐Valle Francisco , Romero‐Velarde Enrique 
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Hunger is an internal stimulus influenced by ingestion of food. It has been noted that breastfed infants have the ability to self‐regulate their energy intake according to their needs and that the appetite‐regulating hormone profile differs between breastfed fed infants and those fed formula for infants. One hypothesis proposes that the serum concentration of the appetite regulating hormones in the mother‐child dyad differs according to their own metabolism of each one and according to the type of feeding of the infant. Therefore, the purpose of this report is to show preliminary results of the comparison of the serum concentration of appetite hormones in the mother‐infant dyad according to the type of infant feeding.

Methods

In a cohort study with a non‐random sample at a concentration site, 70 mother‐infant dyads from the Nuevo Hospital Civil de Guadalajara that met the inclusion criteria and signed informed consent, were included. Fasting blood samples were obtained from the mother and infant in Vacutainer® tubes with anticoagulant EDTA treated with protease inhibitors aprotinin and dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor. The hormones leptin, ghrelin, peptide‐YY and GLP‐1 were analyzed with the ELISA method. The comparison between groups was performed with ANOVA, Post‐Hoc tests and Student's t test for independent samples or with Mann‐Whitney U. A Pearson correlation test was performed between the concentrations of the hormone biomarkers of the mother‐child dyad. The Research and Bioethics Committee of the New Civil Hospital of Guadalajara authorized the protocol.

Results

Of the total sample of mother‐child dyads (70) at four months postpartum three groups were formed: group 1, 27 mothers with exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) infants; Group 2, 25 mothers with partial breastfeeding (PBF) infants; and, Group 3, 18 mothers with formula fed (FF) infants. The serum concentration of total ghrelin and PYY were significantly higher in infants than in their mothers in all three types of feeding (EBF, PBF and FF), p <0.001.Serum leptin concentration was significantly lower in infants than in their mothers in all three types of feeding, p<0.001. Serum GLP‐1 concentration was significantly higher in the EBF group (p=0.001). The concentration of GLP‐1 did not show significant differences between mothers and children in the PBF and FF groups. The concentration of GLP‐1 showed a direct correlation, more evident in the EBF group (r=0.790, p<0.001), than in the PBF group (r=0.709, p<0.001) and, than in FF group (0.576, p=0.019).

Conclusion

These preliminary results clearly show that serum concentrations of appetite regulating hormones significantly differ between mothers and children independently of the type of infant feeding. Therefore, it is likely that these differences might obey the own metabolic processes of the dyad mother‐child.

Support or Funding Information

Project supported by the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (234158)