Abstract
Consideration of adipose tissue exclusively as an energy store is a thing of the past. Adipose tissue can be considered a separate endocrine organ, with adipocytes producing a number of hormonally active substances affecting the nutritional status of individuals.
Regulatory hormones of nutritional status (adiponectin, leptin, ghrelin, IGF-1, resistin, obestatin) are the subject of intense research and many of them have been identified in human breast milk (BM). From a long term point of view, these hormones may be involved in programming of the regulation of energy balance in childhood and subsequent control of body weight in adulthood.
It is assumed that breastfeeding may influence the development of neuroendocrine pathways involved in the regulation of nutritional status. Regulatory hormones in BM may be one of the mechanisms that mediate protective effect of breastfeeding on the development of Obesity in adulthood.
The current level of knowledge about actual clinical importance of these BM hormones for the development of infants is low. The following article provides an overview of up-to-date knowledge about regulatory hormones of BM.