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Nutrients Jun 2020The composition of human breast milk is affected by several factors, including genetics, geographic location and maternal nutrition. This study investigated the human...
The composition of human breast milk is affected by several factors, including genetics, geographic location and maternal nutrition. This study investigated the human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) of breastfeeding mothers living in Dubai and their relations with the milk microbiota. A total of 30 breast milk samples were collected from healthy Emirati and UAE-expatriates at Latifa Hospital. HMO profiling was performed using UHPLC-MS. Microbiota profiles were determined by sequencing amplicons of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. HMO concentrations were significantly higher in Emirati, and dropped with the lactation period in both groups of mothers. The Le (ab)-secretor (LeSe) type was the most abundant in Dubai mothers (60%), followed by the Le(ab)-secretor (LeSe) type (23%). and were considerably lower in Dubai-based mothers, while and () were detected at a higher abundance compared to mothers from other countries. Atopobium was correlated with sialyl-lacto-N-tetraose c, and were correlated with 6'-sialyl-lactose, and was correlated with lacto-N-hexaose. The study highlights the HMO profiles of breastfeeding mothers in Dubai and reveals few correlations with milk microbial composition. Targeted genomic analyses may help in determining whether these differences are due to genetic variations or to sociocultural and environmental factors.
Topics: Adult; Bacteria; Breast Feeding; Female; Humans; Lactation; Microbiota; Milk, Human; Oligosaccharides; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; United Arab Emirates
PubMed: 32526930
DOI: 10.3390/nu12061727 -
The American Journal of Clinical... May 2021Critical advancement is needed in the study of human milk as a biological system that intersects and interacts with myriad internal (maternal biology) and external...
Critical advancement is needed in the study of human milk as a biological system that intersects and interacts with myriad internal (maternal biology) and external (diet, environment, infections) factors and its plethora of influences on the developing infant. Human-milk composition and its resulting biological function is more than the sum of its parts. Our failure to fully understand this biology in a large part contributes to why the duration of exclusive breastfeeding remains an unsettled science (if not policy). Our current understanding of human-milk composition and its individual components and their functions fails to fully recognize the importance of the chronobiology and systems biology of human milk in the context of milk synthesis, optimal timing and duration of feeding, and period of lactation. The overly simplistic, but common, approach to analyzing single, mostly nutritive components of human milk is insufficient to understand the contribution of either individual components or the matrix within which they exist to both maternal and child health. There is a need for a shift in the conceptual approach to studying human milk to improve strategies and interventions to support better lactation, breastfeeding, and the full range of infant feeding practices, particularly for women and infants living in undernourished and infectious environments. Recent technological advances have led to a rising movement towards advancing the science of human-milk biology. Herein, we describe the rationale and critical need for unveiling the multifunctionality of the various nutritional, nonnutritional, immune, and biological signaling pathways of the components in human milk that drive system development and maturation, growth, and development in the very early postnatal period of life. We provide a vision and conceptual framework for a research strategy and agenda to change the field of human-milk biology with implications for global policy, innovation, and interventions.
Topics: Adult; Breast Feeding; Diet; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Lactation; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Microbiota; Milk, Human; Mothers
PubMed: 33831952
DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab075 -
Frontiers in Bioscience (Elite Edition) Mar 2020Gastrointestinal (GI) health of newborns is maintained by the gastrointestinal microbiome, and the PNEI (psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology) system and can be altered by the... (Review)
Review
Gastrointestinal (GI) health of newborns is maintained by the gastrointestinal microbiome, and the PNEI (psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology) system and can be altered by the delivery mode of the milk to the newborn such as breast versus bottle feeding, exposure to antibiotics in the milk, or exposure to environmental pollutants. The health of GI tract is particularly is maintained by breast feeding since the maternal milk provides micro- and macronutrients essential to growth, as well as multifunctional small oligosaccharides, particularly, 2'-fucosyllactose which maintain the GI health.
Topics: Dietary Supplements; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gastrointestinal Tract; Humans; Milk, Human; Oligosaccharides
PubMed: 32114457
DOI: 10.2741/E866 -
Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes, and... May 2020Lipids in human milk (HM) provide the majority of energy for developing infants, as well as crucial essential fatty acids (FA). The FA composition of HM is highly... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Lipids in human milk (HM) provide the majority of energy for developing infants, as well as crucial essential fatty acids (FA). The FA composition of HM is highly variable and influenced by multiple factors. We sought to increase understanding of the variation in HMFA profiles and their development over the course of lactation, and after term and preterm delivery, using a pooled data analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To review the literature and perform a pooled data analysis to qualitatively describe an extensive FA profile (36 FAs) in term and preterm colostrum, transitional - and mature milk up to 60 days postpartum.
DESIGN
A Medline search was conducted for HMFA profile data following term or preterm delivery. The search was confined to English language papers published between January 1980 and August 2018. Studies reporting original data, extensive FA profiles in HM from healthy mothers were included. Weighted least squares (WLS) means were calculated from the pooled data using random or fixed effect models.
RESULTS
Our pooled data analysis included data from 55 studies worldwide, for a total of 4374 term milk samples and 1017 preterm milk samples, providing WLS means for 36 FAs. Patterns in both term and preterm milk were apparent throughout lactation for some FAs: The most abundant FAs (palmitic, linoleic and oleic acid) remained stable over time, whereas several long-chain polyunsaturated FAs (including ARA and DHA) seemed to decrease and short- and medium-chain FAs increased over time.
CONCLUSIONS
High heterogeneity between individual studies was observed for the reported levels of some FAs, whereas other FAs were remarkably consistent between studies. Our pooled data suggests that specific FA categories fluctuate according to distinct patterns over the course of lactation; many of these patterns are comparable between term and preterm milk.
Topics: Arachidonic Acid; Data Analysis; Docosahexaenoic Acids; Fatty Acids; Fatty Acids, Essential; Female; Gestational Age; Humans; Lactation; Milk, Human; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Premature Birth
PubMed: 31699594
DOI: 10.1016/j.plefa.2019.102023 -
Advances in Nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) May 2011Human milk oligosaccharides are complex sugars that function as selective growth substrates for specific beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal system. Bovine milk... (Review)
Review
Human milk oligosaccharides are complex sugars that function as selective growth substrates for specific beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal system. Bovine milk is a potentially excellent source of commercially viable analogs of these unique molecules. However, bovine milk has a much lower concentration of these oligosaccharides than human milk, and the majority of the molecules are simpler in structure than those found in human milk. Specific structural characteristics of milk-derived oligosaccharides are crucial to their ability to selectively enrich beneficial bacteria while inhibiting or being less than ideal substrates for undesirable and pathogenic bacteria. Thus, if bovine milk products are to provide human milk-like benefits, it is important to identify specific dairy streams that can be processed commercially and cost-effectively and that can yield specific oligosaccharide compositions that will be beneficial as new food ingredients or supplements to improve human health. Whey streams have the potential to be commercially viable sources of complex oligosaccharides that have the structural resemblance and diversity of the bioactive oligosaccharides in human milk. With further refinements to dairy stream processing techniques and functional testing to identify streams that are particularly suitable for enriching beneficial intestinal bacteria, the future of oligosaccharides isolated from dairy streams as a food category with substantiated health claims is promising.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteria; Cattle; Dietary Supplements; Functional Food; Humans; Intestines; Milk; Milk, Human; Oligosaccharides; Prebiotics
PubMed: 22332060
DOI: 10.3945/an.111.000455 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Apr 2022Human breast milk (hBM) is a dynamic fluid that contains millions of cells, but their identities and phenotypic properties are poorly understood. We generated and...
Human breast milk (hBM) is a dynamic fluid that contains millions of cells, but their identities and phenotypic properties are poorly understood. We generated and analyzed single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data to characterize the transcriptomes of cells from hBM across lactational time from 3 to 632 d postpartum in 15 donors. We found that the majority of cells in hBM are lactocytes, a specialized epithelial subset, and that cell-type frequencies shift over the course of lactation, yielding greater epithelial diversity at later points. Analysis of lactocytes reveals a continuum of cell states characterized by transcriptional changes in hormone-, growth factor-, and milk production-related pathways. Generalized additive models suggest that one subcluster, LC1 epithelial cells, increases as a function of time postpartum, daycare attendance, and the use of hormonal birth control. We identify several subclusters of macrophages in hBM that are enriched for tolerogenic functions, possibly playing a role in protecting the mammary gland during lactation. Our description of the cellular components of breast milk, their association with maternal–infant dyad metadata, and our quantification of alterations at the gene and pathway levels provide a detailed longitudinal picture of hBM cells across lactational time. This work paves the way for future investigations of how a potential division of cellular labor and differential hormone regulation might be leveraged therapeutically to support healthy lactation and potentially aid in milk production.
Topics: Breast Feeding; Female; Gene Expression Profiling; Humans; Lactation; Milk, Human; RNA-Seq; Transcriptome
PubMed: 35377806
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121720119 -
International Journal of Molecular... Feb 2024Human milk is abundant in carbohydrates and includes human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and /-glycans conjugated to proteins. HMO compositions and concentrations vary in...
Human milk is abundant in carbohydrates and includes human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and /-glycans conjugated to proteins. HMO compositions and concentrations vary in individuals according to the maternal secretor status based on the fucosyltransferase 2 genotype; however, the profile of /-glycans remains uninvestigated because of the analytical complexity. Herein, we applied a label-free chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique to elucidate the variation in the composition and concentration of /-glycans in human milk. We used label-free LC-MS to relatively quantify 16 -glycans and 12 -glycans in 200 samples of Japanese human milk (1-2 months postpartum) and applied high performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection to absolutely quantify the concentrations of 11 representative HMOs. Cluster analysis of the quantitative data revealed that -glycans and several HMOs were classified according to the presence or absence of fucose linked to galactose while -glycans were classified into a different group from -glycans and HMOs. -glycans and HMOs with fucose linked to galactose were more abundant in human milk from secretor mothers than from nonsecretor mothers. Thus, secretor status influenced the composition and concentration of HMOs and -glycans but not those of -glycans in human milk.
Topics: Female; Humans; Milk, Human; Japan; Fucose; Galactose; Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Polysaccharides; Mass Spectrometry; Oligosaccharides
PubMed: 38339050
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031772 -
Nutrients Feb 2019Complementary feeding transitions infants from a milk-based diet to solid foods, providing essential nutrients to the infant and the developing gut microbiome while... (Review)
Review
Complementary feeding transitions infants from a milk-based diet to solid foods, providing essential nutrients to the infant and the developing gut microbiome while influencing immune development. Some of the earliest microbial colonisers readily ferment select oligosaccharides, influencing the ongoing establishment of the microbiome. Non-digestible oligosaccharides in prebiotic-supplemented formula and human milk oligosaccharides promote commensal immune-modulating bacteria such as Bifidobacterium, which decrease in abundance during weaning. Incorporating complex, bifidogenic, non-digestible carbohydrates during the transition to solid foods may present an opportunity to feed commensal bacteria and promote balanced concentrations of beneficial short chain fatty acid concentrations and vitamins that support gut barrier maturation and immunity throughout the complementary feeding window.
Topics: Breast Feeding; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Infant; Infant Formula; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Milk, Human; Oligosaccharides; Prebiotics; Weaning
PubMed: 30744134
DOI: 10.3390/nu11020364 -
American Journal of Primatology Oct 2019Milk is inhabited by a community of bacteria and is one of the first postnatal sources of microbial exposure for mammalian young. Bacteria in breast milk may enhance... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Milk is inhabited by a community of bacteria and is one of the first postnatal sources of microbial exposure for mammalian young. Bacteria in breast milk may enhance immune development, improve intestinal health, and stimulate the gut-brain axis for infants. Variation in milk microbiome structure (e.g., operational taxonomic unit [OTU] diversity, community composition) may lead to different infant developmental outcomes. Milk microbiome structure may depend on evolutionary processes acting at the host species level and ecological processes occurring over lactation time, among others. We quantified milk microbiomes using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing for nine primate species and for six primate mothers sampled over lactation. Our data set included humans (Homo sapiens, Philippines and USA) and eight nonhuman primate species living in captivity (bonobo [Pan paniscus], chimpanzee [Pan troglodytes], western lowland gorilla [Gorilla gorilla gorilla], Bornean orangutan [Pongo pygmaeus], Sumatran orangutan [Pongo abelii], rhesus macaque [Macaca mulatta], owl monkey [Aotus nancymaae]) and in the wild (mantled howler monkey [Alouatta palliata]). For a subset of the data, we paired microbiome data with nutrient and hormone assay results to quantify the effect of milk chemistry on milk microbiomes. We detected a core primate milk microbiome of seven bacterial OTUs indicating a robust relationship between these bacteria and primate species. Milk microbiomes differed among primate species with rhesus macaques, humans and mantled howler monkeys having notably distinct milk microbiomes. Gross energy in milk from protein and fat explained some of the variations in microbiome composition among species. Microbiome composition changed in a predictable manner for three primate mothers over lactation time, suggesting that different bacterial communities may be selected for as the infant ages. Our results contribute to understanding ecological and evolutionary relationships between bacteria and primate hosts, which can have applied benefits for humans and endangered primates in our care.
Topics: Animals; Female; Host Microbial Interactions; Humans; Lactation; Microbiota; Milk; Milk, Human; Primates; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Species Specificity
PubMed: 31219214
DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22994 -
Expert Review of Proteomics 2019: Among the OMICS technologies, that have emerged in recent years, metabolomics has allowed relevant step forwards in clinical research. Several improvements in disease... (Review)
Review
: Among the OMICS technologies, that have emerged in recent years, metabolomics has allowed relevant step forwards in clinical research. Several improvements in disease diagnosis and clinical management have been permitted, even in neonatology. Among potentially evaluable biofluids, breast milk (BM) results are highly interesting, representing a fluid of conjunction between mothers newborns, describing their interaction.: in this review, updating a previous review article, we discuss research articles and reviews on BM metabolomics and found in MEDLINE using metabolomics, breast milk, neonatal nutrition, breastfeeding, human milk composition, and preterm neonates as keywords.: Our research group has a profound interest in metabolomics research. In 2012, we published the first metabolomic analysis on BM samples, reporting interesting data on its composition and relevant differences with formula milk (FM), useful to improve FM composition. As confirmed by successive studies, such technology can detect the specific BM composition and its dependence on several variables, including lactation stage, gestational age, maternal or environmental conditions. Moreover, since BM contaminants or drug levels can be detected, metabolomics also results useful to determine BM safety. These are only a few practical applications of BM analysis, which will be reviewed in this paper.
Topics: Breast Feeding; Female; Humans; Infant Formula; Infant, Newborn; Metabolomics; Milk, Human; Mothers; Nutritional Sciences
PubMed: 31825672
DOI: 10.1080/14789450.2019.1703679