The impact of maternal obesity and breast milk inflammation on developmental programming of infant growth

Abstract

Background: Little is known about how maternal obesity impacts breast milk (BM) composition and how BM composition may impact growth. We sought to determine the role of maternal body mass index (BMI) on BM inflammatory and oxidative stress markers and to delineate the role of these BM markers on infant growth. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of 40 mother-infant dyads. We first assessed the association between maternal BMI and BM marker (omega-6:omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio (n-6:n-3 PUFA), leptin, interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, IL-1β and malondialdehyde (MDA)) concentration at one (V1) and four (V4) months postpartum. We then examined the association between BM markers on infant growth trajectory from birth to seven months. Results: Higher maternal BMI was associated with higher BM n-6:n-3 PUFA (V1 β=0.12, 95% CI 0.01, 0.2; V4 β=0.13, 95% CI 0.01, 0.3) and leptin (V1 β=107, 95% CI 29, 184; V4 β=254, 95% CI 105, 403) concentrations. Infants exposed to high BM n-6:n-3 PUFA had higher BMI z-scores over time (p=0.01). Higher BM leptin was associated with lower infant percent fat mass at V4 (β=−9, 95% CI −17, −0.6). Infants exposed to high BM IL-8, IL-6, or IL-1β had higher weight z-scores over time (IL-8 p<0.001; IL-6 p<0.001; IL-1β p=0.02). There was no association between BM MDA and maternal BMI or infant growth. Conclusions: Higher maternal BMI is associated with higher BM n-6:n-3 PUFA and leptin concentrations. In addition, higher BM n-6:n-3 PUFA and inflammatory cytokines were associated with accelerated weight gain in infancy.

Untargeted Metabolomic Analysis of Human Milk from Mothers of Preterm Infants

“…Prior studies have shown that polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid and total omega-6 fatty acids in breast milk were lower in concentration in older mothers [ 31 ]. It has been further identified that monounsaturated fatty acid content in human milk is lower and the omega-6:omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio and leptin concentrations are higher in mothers with a higher body mass index (BMI) [ 31 , 32 ]. Importantly, the complex role of enteral long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) on intestinal inflammation and the incidence of NEC and death in a rat model has been previously described [ 33 , 34 ].…”

The Impact of Maternal High-Fat Diet on Bone Microarchitecture in Offspring

“…Longitudinal studies show that obese mothers have babies with increased body length, whole-body bone area, and mineral content (34)(35)(36), but maternal diet was not reported. Two studies demonstrated that mothers consuming a high-fat "Western diet" during pregnancy, defined as a diet high in meat, processed food, and saturated fat, have children with lower whole-body bone area, bone mineral content, and BMD, compared with children of mothers on low-fat "prudent diets" during pregnancy, defined as a diet high in fruits, vegetables, grains and low-fat dairy products (37,38).…”

The Triad Mother-Breast Milk-Infant as Predictor of Future Health: A Narrative Review

“…Obesity in childhood increases the risk of developing cardiovascular or metabolic diseases early in life. The fetal-infant programming hypothesis tried to explain how to prevent obesity in childhood by modifying the maternal diet and therefore the fetal exposure to excessive nutrients intake [ 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 ].…”