Lower levels of human milk adiponectin predict offspring weight for age: a study in a lean population of Filipinos

Abstract

Prior studies have reported a significant, inverse association between adiponectin in human milk and offspring growth velocity. Less is known about this association in populations characterised by a loss of weight for age z-scores (WAZs) in early life. We investigated the association between maternal body composition and milk adiponectin in a sample of Filipino mothers. We then tested for an association between milk adiponectin and size for age in their infants. A total of 117 Filipino mothers nursing infants from 0 to 24 months were recruited from Cebu, Philippines. Anthropometrics, interviews and milk samples were collected and analysed using standard protocols. Mean milk adiponectin in this sample was 7.47 ± 5.75 ng mL(-1) . Mean infant WAZ and weight for length (WLZ) decreased with age. Maternal body composition was not associated with milk adiponectin content. Milk adiponectin had a significant, positive association with infant WAZ and WLZ. Prior reports have found an inverse association between milk adiponectin and infant WAZ. Here, we report that in lean populations with lower milk adiponectin, there is a positive association with infant WAZ, possibly reflecting pleiotropic biological functions of adiponectin for post-natal growth. This study increases the understanding of normal biological variation in milk adiponectin and the consequences of low levels of milk adiponectin for offspring growth.

Associations between Maternal Body Composition and Appetite Hormones and Macronutrients in Human Milk

“…The temporary drop in protein concentration was consistent with differences described by Nommsen et al [42]. Whereas some studies have reported a decrease in concentrations of leptin [75] and adiponectin [30,33,36,66] (measured predominantly in skim HM), others found the opposite trend for adiponectin [11,35], no change [76] or significant fluctuations [11,21] for leptin. More research is required to clarify these relationships.…”

“…We have now expanded the absence of a relationship to maternal %FM and whole HM adiponectin. Thus, it is unlikely that maternal adiposity plays a major role in influencing HM adiponectin levels and it suggests the majority of HM adiponectin may be synthesized and controlled by the mammary gland [66] highlighting the importance of this HM hormone for the infant. Indeed, it appears that HM adiponectin levels regulate infant growth with higher levels of HM adiponectin being associated with lower weight for age (WAZ) and weight for length (WLZ) z -scores at 6 months of age [34] and higher WAZ and WLZ scores over the first 2 years of life [54].…”

“…Conversely lean populations with lower concentrations of HM adiponectin demonstrate a positive association with the infant WAZ scores. This suggests that the association between HM adiponectin and infant growth may in fact be parabolic, further highlighting the pleiotropic effects of adiponectin during development and the adaptive mechanisms that humans display in the marginal environments [66]. Our recent study of gastric emptying and breastfeeding patterns in fully breastfed term infants has established that higher concentrations and doses of HM adiponectin are associated with longer times between breastfeeds (gastric emptying time) [69], which may partially explain the growth-regulating effect of adiponectin in some populations.…”

Diversity and temporal dynamics of primate milk microbiomes

“…We leveraged existing metadata of milk nutrient composition, energetic density, and hormone concentration from previous research (Anderson et al, ; Garcia et al, ; Hinde et al, ; Power et al, ; Quinn et al, ). We previously assayed a subset of samples using standard nutrient composition methods to calculate % crude protein, % total sugar, and % crude fat (Garcia et al, ; Hinde et al, ; Power et al, ).…”

Serum adiponectin concentration in healthy, eutrophic full-term neonates born by cesarean section

“…Stężenie tego hormonu w mleku kobiecym zależy od czasu trwania laktacji, otyłości matki i rasy. Ściśle koreluje z wartością w surowicy noworodka i jego masą ciała (mc), a karmienie naturalne jest uważane za jeden z istotnych czynników chroniących dziecko przed otyłością [13][14][15][16]. Stężenie adiponektyny jest wyższe u matek rodzą-cych przedwcześnie niż o czasie [17].…”