Background: Nutrition and growth in early postnatal life have a role in future diseases. Our aim was to investigate adiponectin oligomers in adequate-for-gestational-age obese children with respect to type and duration of feeding in the first year of life.
Methods: Adiponectin oligomers and cardiometabolic risk factors were measured in 113 adequate-for-gestational-age obese children, divided into group A (prolonged breast feeding, >6 mo), group B (short breast feeding, 1-6 mo), and group C (formula feeding from birth).
Results: All the parameters were similar among the groups. Adiponectin oligomers did not correlate with gestational age, months of breast feeding, and time of weaning. Total and high-molecular weight adiponectin were differently distributed across gender and pubertal stages (P < 0.02), being lower in males from the start of puberty. Prepregnancy BMI and at the end of the pregnancy were negatively associated (P < 0.04) with total and medium-molecular weight adiponectin in female and male offspring, respectively.
Conclusions: Adiponectin oligomers and metabolic characteristics are similarly distributed in adequate-for-gestational-age obese children, irrespective of the type and duration of the feeding in the first year of life. Gender and mother's BMI in pregnancy are contributors to adiponectin regulation. Further studies will explain whether breastfeeding protects against metabolic impairment later in life.