BREAST MILK LEPTIN AS ONE OF THE EARLY FACTORS OF METABOLIC PROGRAMMING
Leptin was first described as a hormone produced by white adipose tissue, which plays a key role in controlling body weight and food intake, as well as participating in the regulation of metabolism, reproduction and development. Later it was described that leptin is also produced in other tissues, such as the stomach, placenta and mammary gland, and is accordingly present in breast milk, which opened up a new area of research for new potential functions of leptin. Thus, breastfeeding has an impact on the programming of subsequent metabolic health, and the hormone leptin present in breast milk can be suggested as a key marker.