Healthy Breastfeeding Infants Consume Different Quantities of Milk Fat Globule Membrane Lipids.

Alexandra D George,Kevin Murray,Mary E Wlodek,Donna T Geddes,Markus R Wenk,Anne K Bendt,Federico Torta,Melvin C L Gay,Jayashree Selvalatchmanan

doi:10.3390/nu13092951

Abstract

The human milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) contains important lipids for growing infants. Anthropometric measurements, milk samples, and infant milk intake were collected in a cohort of eleven healthy mother–infant dyads during exclusive breastfeeding from birth to six months. One hundred and sixty-six MFGM lipids were analysed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the infant intake was calculated. The concentrations and intake were compared and associations between infant intake and growth characteristics explored. The lipid concentrations and infant intake varied widely between mother–infant dyads and between months one and three. The infant intake for many species displayed positive correlations with infant growth, particularly phospholipid species. The high variation in lipid intake is likely an important factor in infant growth, with strong correlations identified between the intake of many MFGM lipids and infant head circumference and weight. This study highlights the need for intake measurements and inclusion in cohort studies to elucidate the role of the human milk lipidome in infant growth and development.

Highlights

IntroductionHuman milk (HM) supplies infants with many nutritive and non-nutritive components, including a vast number of lipids, essential for optimal growth and development
Human milk (HM) supplies infants with many nutritive and non-nutritive components, including a vast number of lipids, essential for optimal growth and development.These lipids compose approximately 5% of the total milk profile and are packaged as milk fat globules
Milk fat globules are proposed to be synthesised from triacylglycleride droplets within the endoplasmic reticulum of the mammary epithelium, and the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) is a tri-layer structure comprised of many polar lipid species surrounding a nonpolar lipid core [1]

Summary

Introduction

Human milk (HM) supplies infants with many nutritive and non-nutritive components, including a vast number of lipids, essential for optimal growth and development These lipids compose approximately 5% of the total milk profile and are packaged as milk fat globules. Two-fold concentration differences between women have been identified for some MFGM lipid species, including phospholipids and sphingolipids [4]. This variance can be explained in part by the maternal diet, which is known to influence the HM fatty acid composition, with previously documented correlations between the maternal fish intake and HM docosahexaenoic acid content and by other possible maternal factors, while some variation is likely due to sampling differences [6–9]

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Conclusion