Low maternal B12 levels results into high leptin levels in placental tissue and cord blood: Study
Newborns from mothers with an insufficient vitamin B12 will probably have higher leptin levels as compared to normal. This was introduced in a study at the Society for Endocrinology Annual Conference.
"The nutritional environment provided by the mother can permanently program the baby's health," Ponnusamy Saravanan, MBBS, FRCP, PhD, associate clinical professor at the University of Warwick Medical School, said in Endocrine Today.
"We know that children born to under or overnourished mothers are at an increased risk for health problems, such as type 2 diabetes," he added.
The team examined details from coupled mother's blood and cord blood samples, adipose tissue and placental tissue. All of these were extracted during the childbirth.
They determined the level of B12 in the blood serum using electrochemiluminescent. The leptin level was also measured through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method.
Researchers contrasted the human pre-adipocyte cell row with different B12 concentration. This will help them to evaluate the fundamental process.
The group attained a verification result. They display the outcome basing from all the collected samples. It reflected that 40% of mother and 29% of babies have an insufficient level of vitamins B12.
In a further examination, researchers showed that B12 in mothers is inversely proportional to newborns' leptin, according to Merck Manual.
It was found out that leptin gene presentation was elevated in adipose tissue and placental tissue. These were based from mothers having a scanty level of B12.
Additionally, leptin level was seen to be higher in adipocytes cultured with low B12. Managed with normal B12 accompanied by a methylation inhibitor also depict high level of leptin, researchers added.
Saravanan suggests that the analysis should be repeated by a potential group. It should aim and focus on the obesity possibilities of babies.
The study will also be obliged to intensively tackle the danger of juvenile overweight and some metabolic problems.
"The study provides more evidence for the intergenerational transmission of metabolic risk to the offspring. And the importance of the first 1,000 days of life in reducing the burden of metabolic disorders in adult life," Saravanan toldEndocrine Today.
It is needed to be verified with another set of research. If the result coincides with the first one, it has the possibility to lessen the problem of metabolic disorders.
The whole thing is to give babies a desirable nutritional habitat throughout the intrauterine life.