Is Abnormal Leptin Responsible for Obesity in Maltreated Children?

Barbara Geller, MD

Only in maltreated children, leptin response to increased inflammation and body-mass index becomes blunted, which may account for the relationship between childhood maltreatment and obesity.

Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse in childhood is associated with obesity in adulthood (Obes Rev 2014 Aug 14). This association fueled the current study of leptin, a hormone secreted by adipocytes that suppresses appetite via hypothalamic pathways and enhances immune responses, in 172 twins participating in a U.K. cohort study; 81 were maltreated. Maltreatment histories were obtained at ages 5, 7, 10, and 12 years. Assessments at age 12 included leptin and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, body-mass index (BMI), depression, and socioeconomic status.

Analyses controlling for circadian leptin rhythms and possible confounders found no direct relationship between maltreatment and leptin. However, abused children, compared with nonabused children, had blunted leptin responses to increasing BMI and CRP levels. The two groups did not differ in mean depression scores (which differs from the findings of other publications, e.g., Dev Psychopathol 2001; 13:451).

Citation(s):

Danese A et al. Leptin deficiency in maltreated children. Transl Psychiatry 2014 Sep 23; 4:e446.