Abstract
Amino acid profile is a key aspect of human milk (HM) protein quality. We report a systematic review of total amino acid (TAA) and free amino acid (FAA) profiles, in term and preterm HM derived from 13 and 19 countries, respectively. Of the 83 studies that were critically reviewed, 26 studies with 3774 subjects were summarized for TAA profiles, while 22 studies with 4747 subjects were reviewed for FAA. Effects of gestational age, lactation stage, and geographical region were analyzed by Analysis of Variance. Data on total nitrogen (TN) and TAA composition revealed general inter-study consistency, whereas FAA concentrations varied among studies. TN and all TAA declined in the first two months of lactation and then remained relatively unchanged. In contrast, the FAA glutamic acid and glutamine increased, peaked around three to six months, and then declined. Some significant differences were observed for TAA and FAA, based on gestational age and region. Most regional TAA and FAA data were derived from Asia and Europe, while information from Africa was scant. This systematic review represents a useful evaluation of the amino acid composition of human milk, which is valuable for the assessment of protein quality of breast milk substitutes.
Highlights
Protein quality and quantity are key aspects of the nutritional value of infant feedings
Data on total nitrogen and total amino acid composition of human milk revealed general inter-study consistency, whereas marked variability was seen in the values of the free amino acids between studies
indispensable amino acids (IAA): Indispensable amino acids are those that are essential to the infant [85]
Summary
Protein quality and quantity are key aspects of the nutritional value of infant feedings. Many of the available references on the amino acid composition of human milk provide values in quantities of total protein or total nitrogen without considering the differences between crude protein derived from total nitrogen and true protein from protein nitrogen. Total amino acids (TAA) are comprised of amino acids contributing to both protein nitrogen (protein-bound amino acids) and non-protein nitrogen (NPN) [2]. A large proportion (around 20%–25%) of total nitrogen in human milk is non-protein nitrogen; free amino acids (FAA) account for 8%–22% of NPN and 5%–10% of TAA [3,4,5,6]. Free amino acids contribute to the body’s utilizable nitrogen, are credited for the initial change in plasma free amino acids following a feed, and are more readily absorbed than protein-derived amino acids [5,11]. Increasing evidence suggests that free amino acids may play an important role in early postnatal development, yet their full biological significance has not been fully defined [5,12]
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