Dietary Intake of Gangliosides and Correlation with Serum Ganglioside Concentration: Cross-Sectional Study among Chinese Toddlers Aged 24-48 Months

Abstract

Gangliosides are a group of sialic-acid-containing sphingolipids, found in brain and neural tissues. The various biological roles of gangliosides have been well reported and include calcium homeostasis, regulation of neurons, neural repair, immune system functions, and cellular functions. Furthermore, dietary gangliosides have been shown to improve cognitive development in the early postnatal period and to increase brain neuroplasticity. However, the dietary intake status of gangliosides among Chinese toddlers is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the dietary intake and food source of gangliosides among Chinese toddlers and to probe its correlation with serum ganglioside concentration. Total of 213 Chinese toddlers aged 24-48 months were enrolled in this cross-sectional study in Beijing and Xuchang City, China. A food frequency questionnaire and 24-h dietary recall methods were used to collect both long- and short-term dietary information. Food items selected from dietary records and blood serum samples collected from 197 toddlers were analyzed for ganglioside composition using high performance liquid chromatography‒mass spectrometry. The average dietary total ganglioside intake among the Chinese toddlers was 4.21 mg/day. Dairy products, meats, and growing-up milk powders were the predominant food sources of dietary gangliosides with relative proportions of 38, 31, and 29% of the daily dietary total ganglioside intake, respectively. The average serum total ganglioside concentration was 14.86 μg/mL, with GM3 making up 96%. No significant correlation was found between the dietary total ganglioside intake and the serum total ganglioside concentration. As this correlation was inconclusive, further investigation is required to understand ganglioside metabolism and the mechanisms contributing to the role of gangliosides in the growth and cognitive development of toddlers.