scholarly journals Breast Milk Macronutrient Components in Prolonged Lactation

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matylda Czosnykowska-Łukacka ◽  
Barbara Królak-Olejnik ◽  
Magdalena Orczyk-Pawiłowicz

Human milk (HM) is the first dietary exposure in infancy and the best nutritional option for growth and healthy development of the newborn and infant. The concentrations of macronutrients, namely proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, change during lactation stages. HM has been studied extensively in the first 6 months of lactation, but there are limited data regarding milk composition beyond 1 or 2 years postpartum. The aim of our study was to describe longitudinal changes in HM macronutrient concentrations during the prolonged lactation of healthy mothers from the 1st to the 48th month. For the macronutrient content of milk of mothers breastfeeding for longer than 18 months, fat and protein increased and carbohydrates decreased significantly, compared with milk expressed by women breastfeeding up to 12 months. Moreover, the concentration of fat, protein and carbohydrates in HM over 2 years of lactation from the 24th to the 48th month remained at a stable level. However, analyzed macronutrients were positively (carbohydrate, r = 0.51) or negatively (fat, r = −0.36 and protein, r = −0.58) correlated with the amount of feeding. Our results create a greater potential for understanding the nutritional contribution of HM over 2 years of lactation and showed that the source of calories in breast milk for older children is mainly fat, while carbohydrates play a greater role in infant nutrition in the early stage. The observed changes of macronutrient concentrations from the 1st to the 48th month of lactation are probably related to the adaptation of milk composition to the increased energy demand of the intensively growing child.

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elvira Verduci ◽  
Maria Lorella Giannì ◽  
Giulia Vizzari ◽  
Sara Vizzuso ◽  
Jacopo Cerasani ◽  
...  

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.


Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Butts ◽  
Duncan Hedderley ◽  
Thanuja Herath ◽  
Gunaranjan Paturi ◽  
Sarah Glyn-Jones ◽  
...  

Human milk is nutrient rich, complex in its composition, and is key to a baby’s health through its role in nutrition, gastrointestinal tract and immune development. Seventy-eight mothers (19–42 years of age) of Asian, Māori, Pacific Island, or of European ethnicity living in Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand (NZ) completed the study. The women provided three breast milk samples over a one-week period (6–8 weeks postpartum), completed a three-day food diary and provided information regarding their pregnancy and lactation experiences. The breast milk samples were analyzed for protein, fat, fatty acid profile, ash, selected minerals (calcium, magnesium, selenium, zinc), and carbohydrates. Breast milk nutrient profiles showed no significant differences between the mothers of different ethnicities in their macronutrient (protein, fat, carbohydrate, and moisture) content. The breast milk of Asian mothers contained significantly higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and linoleic acids. Arachidonic acid was significantly lower in the breast milk of Māori and Pacific Island women. Dietary intakes of protein, total energy, saturated and polyunsaturated fat, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iodine, vitamin A equivalents, and folate differed between the ethnic groups, as well as the number of serves of dairy foods, chicken, and legumes. No strong correlations between dietary nutrients and breast milk components were found.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Galante ◽  
Hanna Lagström ◽  
Mark H. Vickers ◽  
Clare M. Reynolds ◽  
Samuli Rautava ◽  
...  

While human milk composition is characterised by marked dynamicity, we are far from having a clear picture of what factors drive this variation. Hormones in human milk are known to vary according to specific maternal phenotypes, but limited evidence shows the infant also has a role in determining milk composition. The present study aimed to investigate the interplay between maternal and infant characteristics in relation to human milk hormonal profile. In total, 501 human milk samples from mothers recruited in the Finnish STEPS cohort study (Steps to the healthy development) were analysed. Pre-pregnancy and pregnancy maternal data, socioeconomic status and infant characteristics at birth were collated. Leptin, adiponectin, insulin-like growth factor-1 and cyclic Glycine-Proline in milk were measured. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and linear regression were utilised for statistical analysis. Sex-specific interactions with maternal factors were observed, as the infant sex mediated associations between gestational diabetes and milk adiponectin (p = 0.031), birth-mode and total protein (p = 0.003), maternal education and insulin-like growth factor-1: cyclic Glycine-Proline ratio (p = 0.035). Our results suggest that changes in human milk composition are associated with interactions between maternal and infant characteristics and pathophysiological factors. Future work should expand on these findings and further explore the link between hormonal profiles in human milk and infant outcomes.


Glycobiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 774-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Porfirio ◽  
Stephanie Archer-Hartmann ◽  
G Brett Moreau ◽  
Girija Ramakrishnan ◽  
Rashidul Haque ◽  
...  

Abstract Human breast milk is an incredibly rich and complex biofluid composed of proteins, lipids and complex carbohydrates, including a diverse repertoire of free human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). Strikingly, HMOs are not digested by the infant but function as prebiotics for bacterial strains associated with numerous benefits. Considering the broad variety of beneficial effects of HMOs, and the vast number of factors that affect breast milk composition, the analysis of HMO diversity and complexity is of utmost relevance. Using human milk samples from a cohort of Bangladeshi mothers participating in a study on malnutrition and stunting in children, we have characterized breast milk oligosaccharide composition by means of permethylation followed by liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. This approach identified over 100 different glycoforms and showed a wide diversity of milk composition, with a predominance of fucosylated and sialylated HMOs over nonmodified HMOs. We observed that these samples contain on average 80 HMOs, with the highest permethylated masses detected being >5000 mass units. Here we report an easily implemented method developed for the separation, characterization and relative quantitation of large arrays of HMOs, including higher molecular weight sialylated HMOs. Our ultimate goal is to create a simple, high-throughput method, which can be used for full characterization of sialylated and/or fucosylated HMOs. These results demonstrate how current analytical techniques can be applied to characterize human milk composition, providing new tools to help the scientific community shed new light on the impact of HMOs during infant development.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace J. Ahern ◽  
A.A. Hennessy ◽  
C. Anthony Ryan ◽  
R. Paul Ross ◽  
Catherine Stanton

Human milk contains a plethora of nutrients and bioactive components to help nourish the developing neonate and is considered the “gold standard” for early life nutrition—as befits the only food “designed” by evolution to feed human infants. Over the past decade, there is considerable evidence that highlights the “intelligence” contained in milk components that contribute to infant health beyond basic nutrition—in areas such as programming the developing microbiome and immune system and protecting against infection. Such discoveries have led to new opportunities for infant milk formula (IMF) manufacturers to refine nutritional content in order to simulate the functionality of breast milk. These include the addition of specialized protein fractions as well as fatty acid and complex carbohydrate components—all of which have mechanistic supporting evidence in terms of improving the health and nutrition of the infant. Moreover, IMF is the single most important dietary intervention whereby the human microbiome can be influenced at a crucial early stage of development. In this respect, it is expected that the complexity of IMF will continue to increase as we get a greater understanding of how it can modulate microbiota development (including the development of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics) and influence long-term health. This review provides a scientific evaluation of key features of importance to infant nutrition, including differences in milk composition and emerging “humanized” ingredients.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-27
Author(s):  
Liva Aumeistere ◽  
Liva Aumeistere ◽  
Dace Zavadska

Background: Breast milk is the ideal food source that contains all components an infant needs. Infants are at risk of receiving possible pollutants and high levels of trans fatty acids through breast milk that may affect their cardiovascular health and cognitive development. Statistics indicate that the proportion of children who are breastfed up to one year of age shows an annual increase in Latvia. Objectives: 1. To review studies conducted among the Latvian population regarding breast milk composition. 2. To evaluate the necessary future studies emphasizing the importance of the trans fatty acid content in a mother’s diet and correspondingly in breast milk and taking into consideration the new changes in Latvian legislation setting the maximum trans fat content in foodstuffs. Conclusions: There is very little research done about the human milk composition in Latvia that could be referable to a general population. It is known that the exposure of breast milk to persistent organic pollutants in Latvia corresponds to the lowest levels detected in the European countries and is not a cause of health disorders. Taking into consideration the adverse effect trans fatty acids have on human’s health regardless of the age, consumption should be as low as possible. Latvia has become the latest European Union country to set the maximum amount of trans fats in foodstuffs, yet there is no information about trans fatty acids content in human milk among women in Latvia. This problem needs to be addressed and set in motion. Therefore, it would be a novel idea to study if the TFA content also declines in milk among Latvian women after the introduction of the new legislation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marouane Chemek ◽  
Jan Nevoral

AbstractBreastfeeding plays an essential role in the healthy development of a newborn, but human milk is obviously compromised by pollutants from our environment. The main contaminants of human milk with endocrine-disrupting compound (EDCs) have raised concern for public and environmental health. Bisphenol A (BPA), which can leach from plastics, are among the most well-studied. Since EDs are known to cross the mammary gland barrier and BPA may accumulate in the neonate, “BPA-free” products have been introduced to the market. However, recent studies have shown that alternative bisphenols (e.g. BPS, BPF) can be detected in breast milk, have ED activities and may have developmental effects similar to BPA.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Benita Jędral ◽  
Ewa Kamińska-El-Hassan ◽  
Małgorzata Witkowska-Zimny

Background: Human milk, in addition to nutrients, contains many biologically active substances including immunoglobulins, growth factors, cytokines, and a diverse population of somatic cells. Breast milk involves no risk of allergy, contains antibodies, and contains factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and erythropoietin, which may promote the growth and repair of skin cells. The discovery of stem cells and the HAMLET complex in breast milk has led to increased interest in human milk as a natural medicine. Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to identify the effect of topical application of breast milk on the separation time of the umbilical cord stump in newborns. Case report: This paper presents the case of a patient who decided to treat her child’s umbilical cord stump with colostrum/breast milk because her two older children had experienced long umbilical stump separation times. As a result of this treatment, separation of the stump occurred 90 hours after labor. There were no abnormalities in the construction of the navel, complications, or separation disorders of the umbilical cord stump. Conclusion: This research demonstrates that colostrum/mother’s milk was used as an easy, cheap, effective, and natural method of umbilical cord care.


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