Prolactin and human weight disturbances: A puzzling and neglected association.

Prolactin and human weight disturbances: A puzzling and neglected association. Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2019 May 06;: Authors: Sobrinho LG, Horseman ND Abstract Weight gain at the outset of prolactinomas in many women is well documented. Yet, this symptom is absent from the clinical descriptions of the disease in textbooks and reviews. This omission is almost certainly due to the absence of a physiological explanation for the phenomenon, as prolactin is not a recognized fat promoting hormone. In this review we present the clinical evidence for a relationship between prolactin and fat accumulation and address some possible mechanisms involved. We put forward the hypothesis that prolactin is a component of a neuroendocrine program - maternal subroutine - aimed at optimizing the care of the young through the production of milk, promotion of maternal behavior and increase in the metabolic efficiency of the mother. These adaptations can enable her to face the extraordinary metabolic expenses of pregnancy and nursing, especially during times of suboptimal environmental conditions. We emphasize the uniqueness of prolactin in that it is a hormone that is tonically inhibited and which has its major effects on the regulation of an inter-individual (the mother - offspring dyad), rather than an intra-individual, system. This approach opens a window to consider the possibility of external events as regulators of this system. It also allows addres...
Source: ENDOCR REV - Category: Endocrinology Authors: Tags: Rev Endocr Metab Disord Source Type: research