Determinants of cord blood adipokines and association with neonatal abdominal adipose tissue distribution

BACKGROUND: Cord blood leptin and adiponectin are adipokines associated with birth weight and infant adiposity, but few studies have examined their associations with neonatal abdominal adiposity. We examined maternal factors associated with cord leptin and adiponectin and their associations with neonatal adiposity and abdominal fat distribution by MRI in an Asian cohort. METHODS: In the GUSTO prospective mother-offspring cohort (Singapore), cord plasma leptin and adiponectin were measured in 816 infants; 271 neonates underwent MRI within 2 weeks post-delivery to quantify superficial (sSAT), deep subcutaneous (dSAT), and intra-abdominal (IAT) adipose tissue volumes. Multivariable regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Indian or Malay ethnicity, female sex, and gestational age were positively associated with cord leptin and adiponectin. Maternal gestational diabetes (GDM) was positively associated with cord leptin but inversely with cord adiponectin. Pre-pregnancy BMI related positively to cord leptin but not adiponectin. Each SD increase in cord leptin associated with higher sSAT, dSAT, and IAT: 0.258 (0.142, 0.374), 0.386 (0.254, 0.517), and 0.250 (0.118, 0.383), respectively. Each SD increase in cord adiponectin associated with higher sSAT and dSAT: 0.185 (0.096, 0.274) and 0.173 (0.067, 0.278), respectively. Associations between cord adiponectin and neonatal adiposity were observed in neonates of obese mothers only. CONCLUSIONS: Cord leptin and adiponectin concentrations were associated with ethnicity, maternal BMI and GDM, sex, and gestational age; both adipokines were positively associated with neonatal abdominal adiposity.