| abstract |
The invention discloses the therapeutic and prophylactic administration of leptin to (i) an infant of low birth weight for age; (ii) a nursing mother of an infant, the infant having low birth weight for age; or (iii) a pregnant female predisposed to giving birth to an infant of low birth weight for age; for the prevention or treatment, in later life of the infant, of a metabolic disorder or other condition associated with low birth weight, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, hypertension or syndrome X. It is thought that the beneficial properties of leptin may be due at least in part to an effect on glucocorticoid metabolism, in particular to an increase in type 2 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity. |