Oral supplementation with physiological doses of leptin during lactation in rats improves insulin sensitivity and affects food preferences later in life.

We have previously described that neonate rats supplemented with physiological doses of oral leptin during lactation become more protected against overweight in adulthood. The purpose of this study was to characterize further the long-term effects on glucose and leptin homeostasis and on food preferences. Neonate rats were supplemented during lactation with a daily oral dose of leptin or the vehicle. We followed body weight and food intake of animals until the age of 15 months, and measured glucose, insulin, and leptin levels under different feeding conditions: ad libitum feeding, 14-h fasting, and 3-h refeeding after fasting. An oral glucose tolerance test and a leptin resistance test were performed. Food preferences were also measured. Leptin-treated animals were found to have lower body weight in adulthood and to eat fewer calories than their controls. Plasma insulin levels were lower in leptin-treated animals than in their controls under the different feeding conditions, as was the increase in insulin levels after food intake. The homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance index was significantly lower in leptin-treated animals, and the oral glucose tolerance test also indicated higher insulin sensitivity in leptin-treated animals. In addition, these animals displayed lower plasma leptin levels under the different feeding conditions and were also more responsive to exogenous leptin administration. Leptin-treated animals also showed a lower preference for fat-rich food than their controls. These observations indicate that animals supplemented with physiological doses of oral leptin during lactation were more protected against obesity and metabolic features of the metabolic syndrome.