الفهرس 
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Abstract
Background: The presence of leptin in cord blood and breast milk suggests a possible role in fetal and infant growth and development. Methods: The concentrations of leptin in cord blood and breast milk were measured and examined for their correlations with anthropometric measures. Weight, length, Head circumference, and skin fold thickness were taken as measures of anthropometric parameters. This study was carried out from April 2008 to January 2010 and included 60 healthy fullterm newborns and their healthy lactating mothers, recruited from a private hospital (Damascus Hospital-Cairo). Fetal cord blood samples were taken immediately after delivery. Breast milk samples were taken at two times (transitional milk during day’s 5-7 postpartum and mature milk after three months of lactation). Leptin concentrations were measured from samples using active ELISA Kit provided by (DRG International Company, USA). Results: leptin is present in cord blood with level ranging from 4-100ng/ml with mean 33.85ng/ml ±27.47ng/ml in the total subjects (females and males). Leptin level in transitional breast milk between 5-7 days after birth; mean 0.82ng/ml ±0.723 SD, while after three months of exclusive breast feeding; mean was 0.85±0.707ng/ml among all subjects. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that there are very strong associations between cord leptin and anthropometric markers of fetal growth and have suggested that changes in the leptin content of breast milk during lactation might play a role in the regulation of growth in healthy neonates.