Eating for two! Hormone-induced changes in body weight regulation during pregnancy 
(Seminars)
22 May 2012
3.30pm
Venue: Room 501.505, Level 5, Building 501, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Grafton Campus
Contact info: Robyn McDonald
Contact email: r.mcdonald@auckland.ac.nz
Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology seminar by Professor Dave Grattan, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago.
Appetite and food intake increase during pregnancy as the mother needs to provide energy to the growing foetus, as well as laying down fat reserves to help prepare for the metabolic demands of lactation. Increased fat deposition results in rising levels of leptin in the blood. To achieve the increase in appetite during pregnancy, therefore, the maternal brain must overcome the normal homeostatic pathways that regulate bodyweight. A state of leptin-resistance appears to develop during pregnancy, driven by the hormonal changes in pregnancy. Our studies aim to identify the hormonal mechanisms contributing to the loss of response to leptin in the brain.
