LEP and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: In the present study, we aimed to assess whether diet-induced maternal overweight/obesity, which is known to be associated with alterations in offspring metabolic programming21–24, causes changes in the production of leptin in the placenta and affects its levels in the AF, foetal gastric content and stomach, in both males and females, as well as its potential relation with foetal growth.