Prolactin effect on blood glucose and insülin in breastfeeding women.

INTRODUCTION

Prolactin plays a significant role in lactation and prolactin levels are increasing physiologically in pregnancy and breastfeeding period. There might be different mechanisms during breastfeeding between prolactin and insülin levels. In order to highlighten this mechanisms we compared the plasma levels of glucose, insülin, prolactin, C-peptid in basal situations and after taking 75 gr carbonhydrate, 20 gr protein, 23 gr fat in breastfeeding and in non lactating women.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Participiants and measurements: The study population included 12 breastfeeding women and 11 healthy non lactating women as a control group. We collected information on age, history of gestational diabetes mellitus, family history of diabetes mellitus, natality, the symptoms of hypoglycemia. Weight, height and waist circumference were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated as weight (kg)/height (m).

RESULTS

Prolactin was inversely correlated with HbA1c and 2. hour C peptide (p=0.005, r=-0.564; p=0.008, r=-0.539). Prolactin was not significantly correlated with HOMA-IR, HOMA-IS, AUC-I or AUC-G. Prolactin levels were higher in breastfeeding women (median:34.98 μg/L) than in non lactating women (median:12.21 μg/L, p<0.001). There was a significant association between age and fasting glucose (p=0.018, r=-0.665), 2. hour glucose (p=0.049, r=0.578) in breastfeeding women.

DISCUSSION

In our study, we displayed prolactin was inversely correlated with HbA1c and 2. hour C peptide. Some studies in the past demonstrated that higher prolactin levels had importantly lower prevelance of type 2 diabetes. Our findings supported this situation.