Brief Report: Plasma Leptin and Mealtime Feeding Behaviors Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study.
Khushmol K DhaliwalHayford M AvedziCaroline RichardLonnie ZwaigenbaumAndrea M HaqqPublished in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders (2022)
We examined the relationship between weight status, appetite regulating hormones, and mealtime behaviors among children, (5-12 years old), diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a cross-sectional study. All (N = 21) completed anthropometry measurements and (n = 18) provided blood samples for hormone analysis. Mealtime behavior, dietary, physical activity, puberty stage, and social impairment data were collected. Under fasting conditions, overweight/obese (OWOB) participants, (n = 6), had higher leptin concentrations (p < 0.02) and more feeding challenges (p < 0.05) than normal weight (n = 15). Higher leptin levels and disruptions in mealtime behaviors may exist among OWOB children in this study. Future longitudinal studies that examine appetite regulating hormones and mealtime behaviors may inform our understanding of the role of these markers in the development of obesity in ASD.
Keyphrases
- weight loss
- physical activity
- bariatric surgery
- weight gain
- autism spectrum disorder
- body mass index
- young adults
- insulin resistance
- metabolic syndrome
- body weight
- type diabetes
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- intellectual disability
- obese patients
- current status
- glycemic control
- adipose tissue
- mental health
- electronic health record
- blood glucose
- cross sectional
- risk factors
- depressive symptoms
- skeletal muscle
- working memory