Infant cholesterol and glycated haemoglobin concentrations vary widely-Associations with breastfeeding, infant diet and maternal biomarkers.

Abstract

Elevated total cholesterol (TC) and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) are risk factors for cardiovascular disease; however, little is known about their determinants in infants. We aimed to describe TC and HbA1c concentrations in infants aged 8-14months and explore the relation between infant TC, HbA1c, breastfeeding, infant diet, and maternal TC and HbA1c. In this cross-sectional pilot study, mothers of infants aged 6 and 12months were invited to complete a food frequency questionnaire and to take home-based dried blood spot samples from themselves and their infants. Among the 143 included infants, the mean (SD, range) concentration was 4.1 (0.8, 2.3-6.6)mmol/L for TC and 4.9 (0.4, 3.7-6.0)% for HbA1c. There was no significant difference between age groups and sexes. There was a positive relation between TC concentrations of all infants and mothers (B=0.30 unadjusted, B=0.32 adjusted, P<.001 for both) and a negative relation between infant TC and intake of unsaturated fatty acids in the oldest age group (B=-0.09, P=.03 unadjusted, B=-0.08, P=.06 adjusted). Infant HbA1c was not significantly related to diet or maternal HbA1c. TC and HbA1c concentrations varied widely among infants aged 8-14months. Infant TC was associated with macronutrient intake and maternal TC.