Role of leptin in growth and adiposity in early infancy: impact of nutritional pattern.

This study was planned to investigate leptin levels under different models of nutrition and their relation with anthropometric parameters in early infancy. Sixty four infants (28 exclusively breast-fed, 15 exclusively formula-fed and 21 mixed-fed), aged 4 months were included and their leptin, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) levels were measured. Leptin, IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels of the three groups were not statistically different (P > 0.05). The results of our study questions the role of leptin as a link between nutritional pattern and adiposity-growth in early infancy.