In this master's thesis, we determined the influence of the hormones leptin and
adiponectin in human milk on the body composition of children. A total of 294
mother-child pairs from the Ljubljana Maternity Hospital, University Clinical Center
Ljubljana voluntarily participated in the research. The hormone content was
determined in breast milk samples taken one month after birth. The concentration of
hormones was then determined with the help of enzyme-immuno-adsorption tests. To
determine the body composition of children, we used the anthropometric method,
which included measurements of body weight and height or length in infants,
calculation of the body mass index, measurement of the proportion of body fat and
measurement of the thickness of skin folds. We confirmed the influence of leptin on
the z-value of weight gained between birth and the first year of age, and the influence
of adiponectin on the z-values of weight and length at birth. Also, the relationship
between adiponectin concentration and length at one, three and six months, z-values
of body mass index at six months, z-values of length, body mass index, body fat
percentage and some skinfold thicknesses proved to be statistically significant. at one
year, and then at the z-values of height and bicep skinfold thicknesses at three years.
After comparing with other studies, we were able to reach some similar conclusions
regarding the above mentioned parameters, but otherwise some results were even
contradictory. Namely, different methods and time of sampling human milk are in use,
which of course affects the results obtained. We can conclude that the hormones in
human milk definitely affect the body composition of children, but further research is
needed to explain a clear mechanism and unified findings.
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