Across The “Sweetiest” Properties Of Human Breast Milk: Focus On Oligosaccharides

Introduction: Breast Milk (BM), containing nutrients and bioactive components, represents the best source for neonatal nutrition and determines short- and long- term benefits. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) play an active role in these pathophysiological mechanisms. In fact; they influence the shaping of breastfed infant’s gut microbiota, promote intestinal development, confer protection against intestinal or systemic infections modulating immune system; moreover, HMOs determine extra-intestinal effects on several target organs, i.e reducing necrotizing enterocolitis rate or improving brain development. Aims: In this review, we analyze the great inter- and intra-individual variability of BM HMOs, investigating maternal, genetic and environmental factors modulating their composition. Moreover, we provide an update regarding HMOs’ unique properties, underlining their complex interaction with intestinal microbiota and host-derived metabolites. The possible HMOs’ influence on extra-intestinal bacterial communities, potentially influencing newborns’ and even lactating mothers’ health, have been hypothesized. Finally, recognized HMOs’ crucial role, we underline the promising opportunities showed by their addition in formula milk, useful to create dairy products more similar to maternal milk itself.

Download Full-text

Comparison of Vitamin D and 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations in Human Breast Milk between 1989 and 2016–2017

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13020573 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 573

Author(s):

Naoko Tsugawa ◽

Mayu Nishino ◽

Akiko Kuwabara ◽

Honami Ogasawara ◽

Maya Kamao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

Breast Milk ◽

Sun Exposure ◽

Stepwise Multiple Regression ◽

Human Breast Milk ◽

Vitamin D Status ◽

Human Breast ◽

Hydroxyvitamin D ◽

Lactating Mothers ◽

25 Hydroxyvitamin D

Background: Breast milk is considered the optimal source of nutrition during infancy. Although the vitamin D concentration in human breast milk is generally considered poor for infants, vitamin D in breast milk is an important source for exclusively breastfed infants. Increases in vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in lactating mothers may reduce vitamin D concentrations in breast milk. This study aimed to compare vitamin D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentrations in breast milk collected in 1989 and 2016–2017 and simultaneously analyze them with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS); the association between the lifestyle of recent lactating mothers (2016–2017) and vitamin D status in human breast milk was also evaluated. Method: Lactating mothers were recruited from three regions of Japan in 1989 (n = 72) and 2016–2017 (n = 90), and milk from 3–4 months was collected in summer and winter. The samples were strictly sealed and stored at −80℃ until measurement. Breast milk vitamin D and 25OHD concentrations were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Vitamin D intake, sun exposure, and sunscreen use of the lactating mothers in 2016–2017 were assessed. Results: Both vitamin D and 25OHD concentrations in breast milk were higher in the summer regardless of the survey year. Significantly lower vitamin D and 25OHD concentrations were observed in 2016–2017 compared with 1989 in summer, but no survey year difference was observed in winter. The stepwise multiple regression analyses identified season, daily outdoor activity, and suntan in the last 12 months as independent factors associated with vitamin D3 concentrations. Conclusion: The results suggest that low vitamin D status in recent lactating mothers may have decreased vitamin D and 25OHD concentrations in breast milk compared with the 1980s. These results are helpful for developing public health strategies to improve vitamin D status in lactating mothers and infants.

Download Full-text

Levels of Trace Elements in Human Breast Milk in Jordan: a Comparison with Infant Formula Milk Powder

Biological Trace Element Research ◽

10.1007/s12011-020-02547-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yahya R. Tahboub ◽

Adnan M. Massadeh ◽

Nihaya A. Al-sheyab ◽

Diab El shrafat ◽

Israa A. Nsserat

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

Breast Milk ◽

Infant Formula ◽

Milk Powder ◽

Human Breast Milk ◽

Human Breast ◽

Formula Milk ◽

Infant Formula Milk

Download Full-text

Human Breast Milk Assessed by the Deuterium Dose Mother Technique with Less Than 30 g Deuterium Using the Agilent 4500S for Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy: A Pilot Study in the Democratic Republic of Congo

10.21203/rs.3.rs-111948/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Christine Chimanuka Murhima’Alika ◽

Ghislain Maheshe Balemba ◽

Daniella Bugugu Mapendo ◽

Aminata Kapapa ◽

Grace Munthali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fourier Transform ◽

Breast Milk ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Human Breast Milk ◽

Human Breast ◽

Lactating Mothers ◽

Milk Output ◽

The Mean ◽

Different Doses

Abstract Background: Good breastfeeding practice is essential in preventing malnutrition in children. The deuterium method is the best technique for assessing human breast milk output. We investigated whether deuterium doses < 30 g can be used to assess human breast milk using saliva and the new Agilent 4500S for Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the breastmilk output of lactating mothers was evaluated using four different doses of deuterium in the Miti-Murhesa Health Zone (Democratic Republic of Congo). Lactating mothers of infants aged 3-23 months were recruited and assigned to a dosage group. Weight, height, and mid-upper arm circumference were measured and the body mass index calculated as weight/height2. Body composition (fat mass, free fat mass, total body water, and breastmilk output) was assessed using standard deuterium dilution methods. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the means in different groups and the chi² test to compare proportions. Results: Seventy-five lactating mothers were included in the study: 19 received 6 g, 20 received 10 g, 18 received 15 g, and 18 received 20 g deuterium. The mean ± standard deviation infant age was 10.6 ± 5.2, 11.1 ± 4.4, 10.9 ± 4.4, and 11.0 ± 3.9 months, respectively (p=0.076). We found no difference in the age and anthropometric parameters of the lactating mothers in the different groups. The mean ± standard deviation breast milk output rate was 796.6 ± 292.4, 260.8± 23.2, 749.8 ± 244.2, and 733.6 ± 207.1 g/d in the 6 g, 10 g, 15 g, and 20 g groups, respectively (p=0.883). Conclusions: The different doses of deuterium administered to lactating mothers resulted in similar breast milk output values. Thus, it is possible to evaluate human breast milk with deuterium doses <30 g when using the Agilent 4500S.

Download Full-text

Organochlorine insecticide residues in human breast milk: A survey of lactating mothers from a remote area in Papua New Guinea

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology ◽

10.1007/bf00191243 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 50 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

PaulE. Spicer ◽

RichardK. Kereu

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Papua New Guinea ◽

New Guinea ◽

Remote Area ◽

Organochlorine Insecticide ◽

Human Breast Milk ◽

Human Breast ◽

Insecticide Residues ◽

Lactating Mothers

Download Full-text

Differential Transcriptional Response of Bifidobacterium longum to Human Milk, Formula Milk, and Galactooligosaccharide

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.00122-08 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 74 (15) ◽

pp. 4686-4694 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

Rina González ◽

Eline S. Klaassens ◽

Erja Malinen ◽

Willem M. de Vos ◽

Elaine E. Vaughan

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Human Milk ◽

Carbohydrate Metabolism ◽

Bifidobacterium Longum ◽

Milk Formula ◽

Human Breast Milk ◽

Human Breast ◽

Dominant Group ◽

Formula Milk ◽

Carbohydrate Utilization

ABSTRACT In order to gain insight into the effects of human breast milk on the development of the intestinal bifidobacteria and associated health effects, the transcriptome of Bifidobacterium longum LMG 13197 grown in breast milk and formula milk containing galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and long-chain fructooligosaccharides was compared to that obtained in a semisynthetic medium with glucose. Total RNA was isolated from exponentially growing cells and hybridized to a clone library-based microarray. Inserts of clones with significant hybridization signals were sequenced and identified. The B. longum transcriptomes obtained during growth on human and formula milk were more similar to each other than to that obtained from growth in semisynthetic medium with glucose. Remarkably, there were only a few genes implicated in carbohydrate metabolism that were similarly upregulated during growth in both human and formula milk although oligosaccharides were added to the formula. Common highly upregulated genes notably included putative genes for cell surface type 2 glycoprotein-binding fimbriae that are implicated in attachment and colonization in the intestine. Genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism formed the dominant group specifically upregulated in breast milk and included putative genes for N-acetylglucosamine degradation and for metabolism of mucin and human milk oligosaccharides via the galactose/lacto-N-biose gene cluster. This supports the notion that the bifidogenic effect of human milk is to a great extent based on its oligosaccharides. The transcriptional effect of semisynthetic medium containing GOS, which, like human milk, contains a large amount of lactose and galactose, on the B. longum transcriptome was also studied and revealed substantial similarity with carbohydrate-utilization genes upregulated during growth in human milk. This knowledge provides leads to optimizing formula milk to better simulate the observed bifidogenic effects of human breast milk.

Download Full-text

Assessment of Aflatoxin M1 in human breast milk in Rafsanjan, Iran

Current Medical Mycology ◽

10.18502/cmm.7.1.6177 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Somayeh Pourtalebi ◽

Seyyed Amin Ayatollahi Mousavi ◽

Zahra Assadollahi ◽

Seyyed Mahdi Mousavi

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Aflatoxin M1 ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Human Breast Milk ◽

The European Union ◽

Postnatal Exposure ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Milk Samples ◽

Lactating Mothers

Background and Purpose: Aflatoxins (AFs) are a group of highly toxic mycotoxins present both in the environment and in foodstuffs. The food of infants should be safe and free of various pollutants, including breast milk mycotoxins. This study aimed to measure the mycotoxin of Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in human milk samples obtained from lactating mothers living in Rafsanjan city, Iran. Materials and Methods: In the current cross-sectional study, breast milk samples were collected from 150 lactating mothers in Rafsanjan city from September 2015 to April 2016 using the structured food-frequency questionnaire. The AFM1 was measured by employing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay specific kits. The statistical analysis was performed in SPSS software (version 16). Results: The AFM1 was detected in 98 mothers (65%) with a mean concentration of 14.69±8.15 ng/kg, ranging from 5.02 to 41.25 ng/kg. The AFM1 concentration exceeded the tolerable and accepted limit promulgated by the European Union and the USA (25 ng/kg) in only 10 milk samples. Moreover, in 59 milk samples, the AFM1 concentration exceeded the limit recommended by Australia and Switzerland (10 ng/kg). Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, lactating mothers and their infants are at risk of AFM1 exposure in southern Iran. Accordingly, the examination of AFM1 concentrations in lactating mothers, as a critical postnatal exposure marker of infants to this carcinogenic compound, requires further studies in various seasonal periods and different parts of Iran.

Download Full-text

Analysis of the human breast milk microbiome and bacterial extracellular vesicles in healthy mothers

Experimental & Molecular Medicine ◽

10.1038/s12276-020-0470-5 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 52 (8) ◽

pp. 1288-1297 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Su Yeong Kim ◽

Dae Yong Yi

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Extracellular Vesicles ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Human Breast Milk ◽

Human Breast ◽

Bacterial Populations ◽

Vertical Transfer ◽

Gut Colonization ◽

Lactating Mothers ◽

Two Samples

Abstract The microbiota of human breast milk (HBM) contribute to infant gut colonization; however, whether bacterial extracellular vesicles (EVs) are present in HBM or might contribute to this process remains unknown. In this study, we characterized the HBM microbiota of healthy Korean mothers and measured the key bacteria likely affecting infant gut colonization by analyzing both the microbiota and bacterial EVs. A total of 22 HBM samples were collected from lactating mothers. The DNA of bacteria and bacteria-derived EVs was extracted from each sample. In alpha-diversity analyses, bacterial samples showed higher richness and evenness than bacterial EV samples, and beta-diversity analyses showed significant differences between bacteria and bacterial EVs within identical individual samples. Firmicutes accounted for the largest proportion among the phyla, followed by Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria, in both bacteria and bacterial EV samples. At the genus level, Streptococcus (25.1%) and Staphylococcus (10.7%) were predominant in bacterial samples, whereas Bacteroides (9.1%), Acinetobacter (6.9%), and Lactobacillaceae(f) (5.5%) were prevalent in bacterial EV samples. Several genera, including Bifidobacterium, were significantly positively correlated between the two samples. This study revealed the diverse bacterial communities in the HBM of healthy lactating mothers, and found that gut-associated genera accounted for a high proportion in bacterial EV samples. Our findings suggest the existence of key bacteria with metabolic activity that are independent of the major bacterial populations that inhabit HBM, and the possibility that EVs derived from these bacteria are involved in the vertical transfer of gut microbiota.

Download Full-text

LACTOFERRIN LEVELS IN MOTHER’S MILK

The Professional Medical Journal ◽

10.29309/tpmj/2012.19.04.2274 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 19 (04) ◽

pp. 527-530

Author(s):

SYED QAISER HUSAIN NAQVI ◽

MOHAMMAD SHIRAZ KHAN ◽

ALI AKBAR SIYAL ◽

Mir Muhammad Sehto ◽

Riaz Ahmed Qazi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Human Breast Milk ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Human Breast ◽

Mature Milk ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Lactating Mothers ◽

Mother's Milk ◽

The Mean

Objective: This study was aimed to see the significance of Lactoferrin in human breast milk among lactating mothers of healthyand sick babies. Place and duration: This study was conducted at pathology and paediatrics departments of Peoples University of Medical andHealth Sciences Nawabshah, Shaheed Benazirabad between Jan 2011 to Dec 2011. Design: Cross sectional study. Method: Lactoferrinlevels in breast milk of 356 mothers of healthy babies were estimated and similarly lactoferrin levels in breast milk of 318 lactating mothers ofsick babies were estimated & these results were analyzed. Results: the mean lactoferrin level in breast milk of 356 lactating mothers of healthybabies was 9.37 mg/ml and the mean lactoferrin level in breast milk of 318 mothers nursing sick babies was 3.73mg/ml. Conclusions: There isdecrease in lactoferrin levels of lactating mothers of sick babies in their mature milk, which could account for the susceptibility of their babies toinfection.

Download Full-text

Conduct and reporting of formula milk trials: systematic review

BMJ ◽

10.1136/bmj.n2202 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. n2202

Author(s):

Bartosz Helfer ◽

Jo Leonardi-Bee ◽

Alexandra Mundell ◽

Callum Parr ◽

Despo Ierodiakonou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Breast Milk ◽

Primary Outcome ◽

Outcome Data ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Selective Reporting ◽

Human Breast Milk ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Formula Milk ◽

Breastfed Infants

Abstract Objective To systematically review the conduct and reporting of formula trials. Design Systematic review. Data sources Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2020. Review methods Intervention trials comparing at least two formula products in children less than three years of age were included, but not trials of human breast milk or fortifiers of breast milk. Data were extracted in duplicate and primary outcome data were synthesised for meta-analysis with a random effects model weighted by the inverse variance method. Risk of bias was evaluated with Cochrane risk of bias version 2.0, and risk of undermining breastfeeding was evaluated according to published consensus guidance. Primary outcomes of the trials included in the systematic review were identified from clinical trial registries, protocols, or trial publications. Results 22 201 titles were screened and 307 trials were identified that were published between 2006 and 2020, of which 73 (24%) trials in 13 197 children were prospectively registered. Another 111 unpublished but registered trials in 17 411 children were identified. Detailed analysis was undertaken for 125 trials (23 757 children) published since 2015. Seventeen (14%) of these recently published trials were conducted independently of formula companies, 26 (21%) were prospectively registered with a clear aim and primary outcome, and authors or sponsors shared prospective protocols for 11 (9%) trials. Risk of bias was low in five (4%) and high in 100 (80%) recently published trials, mainly because of inappropriate exclusions from analysis and selective reporting. For 68 recently published superiority trials, a pooled standardised mean difference of 0.51 (range −0.43 to 3.29) was calculated with an asymmetrical funnel plot (Egger’s test P<0.001), which reduced to 0.19 after correction for asymmetry. Primary outcomes were reported by authors as favourable in 86 (69%) trials, and 115 (92%) abstract conclusions were favourable. One of 38 (3%) trials in partially breastfed infants reported adequate support for breastfeeding and 14 of 87 (16%) trials in non-breastfed infants confirmed the decision not to breastfeed was firmly established before enrolment in the trial. Conclusions The results show that formula trials lack independence or transparency, and published outcomes are biased by selective reporting. Systematic review registration PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018091928.

Download Full-text