Ghrelin, leptin and insulin in healthy children: Relationship with anthropometry, gender, and age distribution

Objectives: This study aimed to establish the relationship between total ghrelin, acyl ghrelin, des-acyl ghrelin, leptin, and insulin with anthropometry, gender, and age distribution in healthy children.

Results: Data from 111 healthy children aged 4 months to 10 years were studied. All the participants underwent a pre-study screening clinical evaluation and were separated in 3 age groups. All had blood collected to assay. Anthropometric parameters were measured according to World Health Organization. In order to determine the correlation between dependent and independent variables, a multiple linear regression analysis was used. Overall median age of subjects was 60.0 months. After multiple regression analysis, correlation between total ghrelin, acyl ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin remained significant with age. Correlation between leptin values and age, body mass index-for-age ratio, height-for-age ratio, and female gender remained significant. There was no significant correlation between insulin and ghrelin, and between insulin and leptin in all age groups. There was an inverse significant correlation between total ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin with leptin in the whole group.

Conclusions: Ghrelin showed an inverse correlation with age and leptin showed a direct correlation with anthropometric parameters and female gender in healthy children. Insulin did not show any correlation.