A narrative review of the associations between six bioactive components in breast milk and infant adiposity

In this context of COVID-19 pandemic, great interest has been aroused by the potential maternal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by transplacental route, during delivery, and, subsequently, through breastfeeding. Some open questions still remain, especially regarding the possibility of finding viable SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk (BM), although this is not considered a worrying route of transmission. However, in BM, it was pointed out the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and other bioactive components that could protect the infant from infection. The aim of our narrative review is to report and discuss the available literature on the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in BM of COVID-19 positive mothers, and we discussed the unique existing study investigating BM of SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers through metabolomics, and the evidence regarding microbiomics BM variation in COVID-19. Moreover, we tried to correlate metabolomics and microbiomics findings in BM of positive mothers with potential effects on breastfed infants metabolism and health. To our knowledge, this is the first review summarizing the current knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 effects on BM, resuming both “conventional data” (antibodies) and “omics technologies” (metabolomics and microbiomics).

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The Triad Mother-Breast Milk-Infant as Predictor of Future Health: A Narrative Review

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13020486 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 486 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elvira Verduci ◽

Maria Lorella Giannì ◽

Giulia Vizzari ◽

Sara Vizzuso ◽

Jacopo Cerasani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Outcome ◽

Breast Milk ◽

Human Milk ◽

Maternal Diet ◽

Milk Composition ◽

Narrative Review ◽

Future Health ◽

Interconnected System ◽

Offspring Health ◽

Diet And Lifestyle

The benefits of human milk for both mother and infant are widely acknowledged. Human milk could represent a link between maternal and offspring health. The triad mother-breast milk-infant is an interconnected system in which maternal diet and lifestyle might have effects on infant’s health outcome. This link could be in part explained by epigenetics, even if the underlining mechanisms have not been fully clarified yet. The aim of this paper is to update the association between maternal diet and human milk, pointing out how maternal diet and lifestyle could be associated with breast-milk composition, hence with offspring’s health outcome.

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Safety of Breast Pumps and Expressed Breast Milk Use Amongst Nursing Mothers and Healthy Term Babies: Narrative Review

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3796261 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Temitope John Alabi

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Narrative Review ◽

Expressed Breast Milk ◽

Nursing Mothers

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What Evidence Do We Have for Pharmaceutical Galactagogues in the Treatment of Lactation Insufficiency?—A Narrative Review

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11050974 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 974 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Luke E. Grzeskowiak ◽

Mary E. Wlodek ◽

Donna T. Geddes

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

Breast Milk ◽

Milk Composition ◽

Narrative Review ◽

Pharmacological Intervention ◽

Future Research ◽

Individual Treatment ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Milk Supply ◽

Insufficient Milk

Inadequate breast milk supply is a frequently reported reason for early discontinuation of breastfeeding and represents a critical opportunity for intervening to improve breastfeeding outcomes. For women who continue to experience insufficient milk supply despite the utilisation of non-pharmacological lactation support strategies, pharmacological intervention with medications used to augment lactation, commonly referred to as galactagogues, is common. Galactagogues exert their pharmacological effects through altering the complex hormonal milieu regulating lactation, particularly prolactin and oxytocin. This narrative review provides an appraisal of the existing evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of pharmaceutical treatments for lactation insufficiency to guide their use in clinical practice. The greatest body of evidence surrounds the use of domperidone, with studies demonstrating moderate short-term improvements in breast milk supply. Evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of metoclopramide is less robust, but given that it shares the same mechanism of action as domperidone it may represent a potential treatment alternative where domperidone is unsuitable. Data on remaining interventions such as oxytocin, prolactin and metformin is too limited to support their use in clinical practice. The review provides an overview of key evidence gaps and areas of future research, including the impacts of pharmaceutical galactagogues on breast milk composition and understanding factors contributing to individual treatment response to pharmaceutical galactagogues.

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Dynamic Associations of Milk Components With the Infant Gut Microbiome and Fecal Metabolites in a Mother–Infant Model by Microbiome, NMR Metabolomic, and Time-Series Clustering Analyses

Frontiers in Nutrition ◽

10.3389/fnut.2021.813690 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Yosuke Komatsu ◽

Daiki Kumakura ◽

Namiko Seto ◽

Hirohisa Izumi ◽

Yasuhiro Takeda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Lactation Period ◽

Bioactive Components ◽

Fecal Microbiome ◽

Breastfed Infants ◽

H Nmr ◽

Milk Components ◽

Infant Gut Microbiome ◽

Infant Feces

Background: The gut microbiome and fecal metabolites of breastfed infants changes during lactation, and are influenced by breast milk components. This study aimed to investigate dynamic associations of milk components with the infant gut microbiome and fecal metabolites throughout the lactation period in a mother–infant model.Methods: One month after delivery, breast milk and subsequent infant feces were collected in a pair for 5 months from a mother and an exclusively breastfed infant. Composition of the fecal microbiome was determined with 16S rRNA sequencing. Low-molecular-weight metabolites, including human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), and antibacterial proteins were measured in feces and milk using 1H NMR metabolomics and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The association of milk bioactive components with the infant gut microbiome and fecal metabolites was determined with Python clustering and correlation analyses.Results: The HMOs in milk did not fluctuate throughout the lactation period. However, they began to disappear in infant feces at the beginning of month 4. Notably, at this time-point, a bifidobacterium species switching (from B. breve to B. longum subsp. infantis) occurred, accompanied by fluctuations in several metabolites including acetate and butyrate in infant feces.Conclusions: Milk bioactive components, such as HMOs, might play different roles in the exclusively breastfed infants depending on the lactation period.

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Hormones in Breast Milk and Effect on Infants’ Growth: A Systematic Review

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11081845 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1845 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alessandra Mazzocchi ◽

Maria Lorella Giannì ◽

Daniela Morniroli ◽

Ludovica Leone ◽

Paola Roggero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Body Composition ◽

Breast Milk ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Bioactive Components ◽

Insulin Growth Factor ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Insight Into ◽

Milk Hormones

Breast milk is characterized by a dynamic and complex composition which includes hormones and other bioactive components that could influence infant growth, development, and optimize health. Among the several beneficial effects associated with prolonged breastfeeding, a 13% decrease in the risk of overweight and obesity has been reported. Recent research has focused on breast milk hormones contributing to the appetite and energy balance regulation and adiposity. Accordingly, we conducted a literature systematic review with the aim to provide an update on the effect of leptin, ghrelin, Insulin Growth Factor 1, adiponectin, and insulin on infants’ and children’s growth and body composition. The revised literature reveals contrasting findings concerning the potential role of all these hormones on modeling growth and fat mass apposition and health outcomes later in life. Further studies are needed to gain further insight into the specific role of these bioactive components in metabolic pathways related to body composition. This could help gain a further insight on infants’ growth, both in physiological and pathological settings.

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Breastfeeding in Disasters: A reminder for policymakers

Journal of Disaster and Emergency Research ◽

10.18502/jder.v2i2.1514 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammadreza Khajehaminian ◽

Sayed Mohsen Hosseini Boroujeni ◽

Vahid Ghanbari ◽

Marjan Delkhosh

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Artificial Feeding ◽

Narrative Review ◽

Diarrheal Diseases ◽

Unexpected Events ◽

Breastfeeding Practices ◽

The Status ◽

English Articles

Introduction: Considering the unexpected events that may occur in disasters, breastfeeding and risks of the artificial feeding need more investigations in such severe conditions. To review the literature regarding to the status of breastfeeding practices during and after disasters.We conducted a narrative review to support and investigate breastfeeding in austere conditions of disasters. Furthermore, the consequences of depriving infants from breast milk were studied. Methods: The electronic databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct were explored and English articles published in 2000-2014 over breastfeeding in disasters were extracted and reviewed. Results: According to the findings, despite the frequent emphasizes on breastfeeding, natural and manmade disasters are strong contributors to its disruption. Uncontrolled distribution of the artificial milk should be avoided, since it is associated with lower rate of breastfeeding. Artificially-fed infants are more prone to diarrheal diseases and malnutrition, particularly in disaster situations, which healthy water is not available for preparing the artificial milk. Conclusion: Healthcare workers should encourage mothers to continue lactation in austere conditions of disasters and monitor distribution of the artificial formula strictly.

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