Gender-Based Differences in Anthropometry and Cord Blood Insulin Levels in Term Neonates

Gender has been unmasked as a key determinant of body adiposity and endocrine homeostasis in the human fetus. Increasing evidence suggests that girls are more insulin resistant than boys at all ages from birth to adolescence[1-3]. Furthermore, type 2 diabetes in children is commoner in girls than in boys[4]. These gender based differences seen early in life could reflect differences in intrinsic insulin resistance or postnatal behavior. We had conducted a study, published elsewhere, to determine the effects of maternal anthropometry and metabolic parameters on fetal growth[5]. In a post-hoc analysis, we aimed to determine whether any gender based difference in anthropometry or insulin levels exists in Indian children. [5]. Out of the 50 neonates, 26 were males (18 AGA and 8 LGA) and 24 were females (22 AGA and 2 LGA). The neonatal and maternal parameters are depicted in Table 1. The mean cord blood insulin levels were 15.15±15.93 mIU/L in males and 11.77±10.95 mIU/L in females, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in any anthropometric or metabolic parameter between the two groups. According to current literature, the average weight, length, and HC of girls are lower than that of boys, but girls are more adipose with higher circulating levels of insulin at term[6-8]. But we did not find any statistically significant difference in anthropometry between male and female babies, in accordance with few studies[8,9]. Also, our study did not demonstrate any gender specificity in cord blood insulin levels, similar to several reports[9,10].