ESPE Abstracts

In recent years, the problem of food consumption among children and adolescents has been rapidly increasing worldwide. The development of obesity in children involves genetic, environmental factors, and lifestyle. One of the main factors in the development of obesity is the necessity to study the correlation between the production of the leptin hormone and the increase in body mass index. It is undeniable that obesity is due to metabolic development. The loss of peptide hormone function associated with leptin causes reproductive dysfunction, regulates fetal growth, lipid metabolism, and food intake, but with high doses, it can cause central nervous system reactions and toxic fatty tissue effects. Leptin binds to receptors called LEPR (leptin receptors) and activates intracellular signaling pathways. The release of LEPR inhibits the release of neuropeptide Y in the hypothalamus, which in turn affects the regulation of body mass and energy homeostasis. This negatively affects the neural signals that control food intake and energy expenditure, resulting in obesity. Leptin's binding to LEPR combined with its role in counteracting obesity is significant.

Objective of the study: The main objective of our study is to investigate the correlation between the leptin hormone and body mass index in children with alimentary obesity and to determine how this correlation changes with age and gender.

Materials and Methods: The study included a group of 17 children aged 6 to 18 years. Each child's normal height and weight index (BMI) was calculated, and body mass index (BMI) was measured. The level of leptin hormone was determined by the IFA method from venous blood samples. At the same time, children's age, gender, height, and weight indices were recorded.

Results and Discussion: In children with obesity, the average body weight was 62.095 (std +17.952), height average was 150.990 (std +12.010), BMI average was 26.767 (std +4.922), and the average leptin hormone level was 43.08 ng/ml (std +36.637). The correlation between leptin hormone levels and body weight (P <0.001, P = 0.693) and BMI (P <0.001, P = 0.735) was highly significant. However, no direct correlation was found between leptin level and height indicator (P = 0.169, P = 0.312).

Conclusion: Thus, Leptin-melanocortin plays a central role in the central nervous system and energy homeostasis by regulating food intake. Our study results once again confirmed that an increase in leptin hormone levels in children with alimentary obesity (with a high BMI) is due to the increase in toxic fatty tissue, causing a phenomenon known as "Leptin resistance".