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. 2019 Aug 9;11(8):1845.
doi: 10.3390/nu11081845.

Hormones in Breast Milk and Effect on Infants' Growth: A Systematic Review

Alessandra Mazzocchi  1 , Maria Lorella Giannì  1   2 , Daniela Morniroli  1   2 , Ludovica Leone  1 , Paola Roggero  1   2 , Carlo Agostoni  3   4 , Valentina De Cosmi  5 , Fabio Mosca  1   2
Affiliations

Hormones in Breast Milk and Effect on Infants' Growth: A Systematic Review

Alessandra Mazzocchi et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Breast milk is characterized by a dynamic and complex composition which includes hormones and other bioactive components that could influence infant growth, development, and optimize health. Among the several beneficial effects associated with prolonged breastfeeding, a 13% decrease in the risk of overweight and obesity has been reported. Recent research has focused on breast milk hormones contributing to the appetite and energy balance regulation and adiposity. Accordingly, we conducted a literature systematic review with the aim to provide an update on the effect of leptin, ghrelin, Insulin Growth Factor 1, adiponectin, and insulin on infants' and children's growth and body composition. The revised literature reveals contrasting findings concerning the potential role of all these hormones on modeling growth and fat mass apposition and health outcomes later in life. Further studies are needed to gain further insight into the specific role of these bioactive components in metabolic pathways related to body composition. This could help gain a further insight on infants' growth, both in physiological and pathological settings.

Keywords: adipokines; body composition; breast milk; growth; hormones; term infant.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA diagram of search strategy.
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