Dataset Information

Maternal Body Mass Index Influence on Breast Milk Fatty Acid Esters of Hydroxy Fatty Acids and Their Potential Role in Developmental Programming (OR30-07-19)

ABSTRACT: Abstract

Objectives

Fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFAs) are a novel class of endogenous lipids with suspected anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties in adults. They have been reported to be present in breast milk (BM), but there is no data about their role in infant growth and nutrition. Our objective was to determine the role of maternal body mass index (BMI) on BM FAHFA composition and to delineate the association of these BM fatty acids on infant growth and adiposity.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of maternal vitamin D supplementation during lactation (NCT00412074). We included 40 control mother-infant dyads who had BM samples at one (V1) and four (V4) months and outcome data available. At V1 and V4, maternal and infant anthropometrics were measured, dual energy absorptiometry (DXA) scans conducted, and BM samples collected. BM lipids were measured using established methods of UHPLC-C30RP/HRAM mass spectrometry. Our primary infant growth outcomes were percentage of fat and lean mass, fat mass index, and fat-free mass index. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to analyze the relation between individual lipids, maternal BMI, and infant growth. Focusing on V1 measurements, we computed the unadjusted associations between maternal BMI with BM lipids; BM lipids with infant growth using Pearson's correlations; and the adjusted associations of BM lipids at V1 with infant growth using linear regression with adjustment for relevant covariates.

Results

The mean maternal BMI was 29 kg/m2. There was no correlation between maternal BMI and reported dietary intake of fat. Higher maternal BMI was associated with a higher concentration of saturated and monounsaturated FAHFAs, and a lower concentration of polyunsaturated FAHFAs in BM at V1. In an unadjusted model, saturated and monounsaturated FAHFAs were associated with higher infant fat mass and lower lean mass. The converse was seen with polyunsaturated FAHFAs which were associated with lower infant fat mass and higher lean mass. In a fully adjusted model, these associations were attenuated but the overall pattern persisted (Table 1).

Conclusions

Maternal BMI influences the FAHFA composition of BM. In turn, BM FAHFA composition may play a role in programming infant growth patterns.

Funding Sources

The Nutritional Obesity Research Consortium Grant.

Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs

SUBMITTER: Enstad S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6573962 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Background: Fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFAs) are a group of fatty acids with potential anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic effects. The blood levels of FAHFAs and their regulation in humans have hardly been studied. Objective: We aimed to investigate serum FAHFA levels in well-characterized human cohorts, to evaluate associations with age, sex, BMI, weight loss, diabetic status, and diet. Methods: We analyzed levels of stearic-acid-9-hydroxy-stearic-acid (9-SAHSA), oleic-acid-9-hydroxy-stearic-acid (9-OAHSA) and palmitic-acid-9-hydroxy-palmitic-acid (9-PAHPA) as well as different palmitic acid-hydroxy-stearic-acids (PAHSAs) by HPLC-MS/MS with the use of an internal standard in various cohorts: A cohort of different age groups (18-25y; 40-65y; 75-85y; Σ n = 60); severely obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery and non-obese controls (Σ n = 36); obese patients with and without diabetes (Σ n = 20); vegetarians/vegans (n = 10) and omnivores (n = 9); and young men before and after acute overfeeding with saturated fatty acids (SFA) (n = 15). Results: Omnivores had substantially higher FAHFA levels than vegetarians/vegans [median (25th percentile; 75th percentile) tFAHFAs = 12.82 (7.57; 14.86) vs. 5.86 (5.10; 6.71) nmol/L; P < 0.05]. Dietary overfeeding by supplementation of SFAs caused a significant increase within 1 week [median tFAHFAs = 4.31 (3.31; 5.27) vs. 6.96 (6.50; 7.76) nmol/L; P < 0.001]. Moreover, obese patients had lower FAHFA levels than non-obese controls [median tFAHFAs = 3.24 (2.80; 4.30) vs. 5.22 (4.18; 7.46) nmol/L; P < 0.01] and surgery-induced weight loss increased 9-OAHSA level while other FAHFAs were not affected. Furthermore, significant differences in some FAHFA levels were found between adolescents and adults or elderly, while no differences between sexes and between diabetic and non-diabetic individuals were detected. Conclusions: FAHFA serum levels are strongly affected by high SFA intake and reduced in severe obesity. Age also may influence FAHFA levels, whereas there was no detectable relation with sex and diabetic status. The physiological role of FAHFAs in humans remains to be better elucidated. Trial Registration: All studies referring to these analyses were registered in the German Clinical Trial Register (https://www.drks.de/drks_web/) with the numbers DRKS00009008, DRKS00010133, DRKS00006211, and DRKS00009797.