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GLP-1 and IGF-I levels are elevated in late infancy in low birth weight infants, independently of GLP-1 receptor polymorphisms and neonatal nutrition

International Journal of Obesity volume 42, pages 915–918 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

Low birth weight followed by rapid postnatal weight gain is associated with increased risks for obesity and diabetes in adulthood. Modulation of glucagon-like-peptide 1 (GLP-1) secretion by (epi)genetic mechanisms or nutrition may, in part, influence this risk. Formula-fed infants born small-for-gestational-age (SGA) have higher circulating GLP-1 at age 4 months than breastfed SGA or appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) infants. Here we assessed GLP-1 concentrations in healthy AGA (n=149) and SGA (n=107) subjects at age 12 months and their association with endocrine-metabolic and body composition parameters and GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) rs6923761 and rs3765467 polymorphisms. At birth, cord GLP-1 concentrations were comparable in AGA and SGA infants. At age 12 months, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and GLP-1 levels were higher than at birth; SGA infants displayed higher IGF-I and GLP-1 concentrations than AGA infants (both P<0.001) that were unrelated to neonatal nutrition or GLP-1R genotype and that were paralleled by a significant increase in weight Z-score (P<0.001 vs AGA). In conclusion, SGA infants have augmented IGF-I and prefeeding GLP-1 concentrations in late infancy. Increased GLP-1 levels may impair hypothalamic and/or peripheral GLP-1R signaling, exert long-term negative effects on the hypothalamic nuclei regulating energy homeostasis and increase the risks for obesity and diabetes.

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Acknowledgements

LI, MD and CG-B are investigators of CIBERDEM (www.ciberdem.org). AL-B is an investigator of the I3 Fund for Scientific research (Ministry of Education and Science, Spain). LI and AL-B had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Endocrinology Unit, Pediatric Research Institute Sant Joan de Déu, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    M Díaz, C García-Beltran & L Ibáñez

  2. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain

    M Díaz, C García-Beltran & L Ibáñez

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Dr Josep Trueta & Girona Institute for Biomedical Research, Girona, Spain

    A López-Bermejo

  4. Department of Development & Regeneration, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    F de Zegher

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  1. M Díaz
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  2. C García-Beltran
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  3. A López-Bermejo
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  4. F de Zegher
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  5. L Ibáñez
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Correspondence to L Ibáñez.

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Supplementary Information accompanies this paper on International Journal of Obesity website

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Díaz, M., García-Beltran, C., López-Bermejo, A. et al. GLP-1 and IGF-I levels are elevated in late infancy in low birth weight infants, independently of GLP-1 receptor polymorphisms and neonatal nutrition. Int J Obes 42, 915–918 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2017.271

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