Temporal Changes of Phospholipids Fatty Acids and Cholesterol in Breast Milk and Relationship with Diet

Abstract

AbstractPhospholipids (PLs) and cholesterol in human milk (HM) are affected by lactation, and differential lipids are closely related to maternal diet. The contents of PLs and cholesterol in Chinese HM are quantified by gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography, respectively, and the relationship between differential lipids and the maternal diet is obtained by Pearson. The result shows that SFA, MUFA, and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) are not affected by lactation and geography for total fatty acids, but almost all sn‐2 fatty acids are influenced by geography and remain unchanged during lactation. Most SFAs show absolute sn‐2 selectivity and the majority of MUFAs and PUFAs are esterified at the sn‐1 position. Cholesterol (13.8–22.6 mg per 100 g milk) and 25‐hydroxycholesterol (0.45–1.01 mg per 100 g milk) increase significantly and remain constant during lactation, respectively, and they are affected by regions. In addition, the differential lipids (22:1n‐9, C9:0, trans‐PUFA, 22:4n‐6, etc.) of PLs are closely related to the maternal diet. PLs and cholesterol content differ from western research and infant formula, which will help to design an infant formula that is more suitable for Chinese babies in the future.Practical Application: Compared with PLs and cholesterol in western countries and infant formula, the specificity of Chinese HM can more accurately target the development of formulas suitable for the growth of Chinese infants. At the same time, according to the influence of the motherʼs diet on the composition of HM, it is more reasonable to guide the diet of the mother.