NMR Metabonomic Profile of Preterm Human Milk in the First Month of Lactation: From Extreme to Moderate Prematurity.

Chiara Peila,Nicoletta Grazia Pusceddu,Angelica Dessì,Enrico Bertino,Flaminia Cesare Marincola,Matteo Stocchero,Vassilios Fanos,Stefano Sottemano,Eugenio Baraldi

doi:10.3390/foods11030345

Abstract

Understanding the composition of human milk (HM) can provide important insights into the links between infant nutrition, health, and development. In the present work, we have longitudinally investigated the metabolome of milk from 36 women delivering preterm at different gestational ages (GA): extremely (<28 weeks GA), very (29–31 weeks GA) or moderate (32–34 weeks GA) premature. Milk samples were collected at three lactation stages: colostrum (3–6 days post-partum), transitional milk (7–15 days post-partum) and mature milk (16–26 days post-partum). Multivariate and univariate statistical data analyses were performed on the 1H NMR metabolic profiles of specimens in relation to the degree of prematurity and lactation stage. We observed a high impact of both the mother’s phenotype and lactation time on HM metabolome composition. Furthermore, statistically significant differences, although weak, were observed in terms of GA when comparing extremely and moderately preterm milk. Overall, our study provides new insights into preterm HM metabolome composition that may help to optimize feeding of preterm newborns, and thus improve the postnatal growth and later health outcomes of these fragile patients.

Highlights

Human milk (HM) is the best way to feed a newborn in the first months of life as it contains a balanced amount of nutrients and bioactive components which guarantee optimal growth and development of the organs, immune system, and intestinal microbiota
There are limited data suggesting that mode of delivery may influence maternal HM composition, and not all of the results provided are in agreement
We have performed an analysis of the longitudinal composition of preterm HM metabolome taking into consideration the degree of prematurity as a discriminant factor

Summary

Introduction

Human milk (HM) is the best way to feed a newborn in the first months of life as it contains a balanced amount of nutrients and bioactive components which guarantee optimal growth and development of the organs, immune system, and intestinal microbiota. Breastfeeding is associated with several short- and long-term positive health effects for both infant and mother. Short-term benefits for the infant concern defense against gastrointestinal and respiratory infections and atopic diseases [1]. Long-term benefits include the reduction of the prevalence of overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes [1]. The health effects experienced by the mother on a short-term scale include a decreased risk of iron-deficiency anemia, improvements in mother-baby bonding, and prevention of postpartum hemorrhage. The long-term benefits include decreased risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases [2]

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