Serum adiponectin levels, insulin resistance, and lipid profile in children born small for gestational age are affected by the severity of growth retardation at birth.

Objective: Insulin resistance has been linked to intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR); adiponectin is a protein with insulin-sensitizing properties. This study was designed to test whether being born small for gestational age (SGA) has an effect on blood levels of adiponectin and leptin, insulin resistance parameters, and lipid profile in pre-puberty, taking into consideration the severity of IUGR.

Methods: Serum levels of adiponectin, leptin, total cholesterol (t-CHOL), high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoproteins A-1 (Apo A-1), Apo B and Apo E, lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)), fasting glucose, and insulin (Ins), the homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) and anthropometric indices were evaluated in 70 children aged 6-8 years, born appropriate for gestational age (AGA; n = 35) and SGA (n = 35), matched for age, gender, height, and BMI.

The edematogenic properties of insulin.

The edematogenic properties of insulin have long been documented, although they have been underestimated despite current trends toward intensive insulin therapy. Insulin treatment has been associated with weight gain, mild or moderate edema, and, rarely, generalized edema and cardiopulmonary congestion. In addition, the use in recent years of thiazolidinediones, which improve insulin sensitivity, has been associated with weight gain and peripheral edema, which can progress to pulmonary edema, particularly when thiazolidinediones are used in combination with insulin.