Relationship between maternal diet, plasma lipids and human milk cholesterol and fatty acids

Abstract

Human milk cholesterol and fatty acids (FA) are important for infant development. Few studies have examined the relationship between maternal diet or plasma lipids on human milk composition. From 120 longitudinally‐studied breastfeeding mother‐infant pairs, mothers with the 15 highest (HC) and 15 lowest (LC) dietary cholesterol were analyzed. Maternal diet (4–13 weeks postpartum) was assessed, and plasma and milk were collected at 4 weeks postpartum. Demographics and anthropometrics were similar between LC and HC, but HC had higher intake of kcal and macronutrients, except carbohydrate. Plasma and milk total cholesterol did not differ by group. LC had lower milk palmitic acid (median 19.1 %wt/wt vs. 21.1, p=0.03), higher milk linoleic acid (20.5 vs 17.9, p=0.003) and marginally higher plasma linoleic acid (42.8 vs 40.4, p=0.06). In HC, milk oleic and stearic acids were correlated with kcal (Spearman rho=0.45 and 0.43, respectively). In LC, plasma and milk FAs were significantly correlated with each other. These data suggest that milk FA, but not total cholesterol, may be partially influenced by maternal diet and plasma FA. This work was funded by the CCHMC CTRC and Mead Johnson Nutrition, Inc.