Abstract
Fatty acids are the building blocks of the entire human milk lipidome; yet, despite years of research, there is little understanding of their importance in early life health and disease. This may be partly due to the way in measurements have been made of fatty acids in the past. Monthly longitudinal human milk samples were collected from eighteen Western Australian mother–infant dyads, during six months of exclusive breastfeeding (n = 704). Additionally, data including monthly anthropometric measurements, health information, and basic maternal food frequency questionnaires were also collected. Infant 24 h milk intake and total lipid intake were measured at three months. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to profile human milk fatty acids. Linear regression and Pearson’s correlation were used to identify associations between human milk fatty acid composition, intake, maternal characteristics, and infant outcomes. Significant variation in human milk fatty acid composition was identified between dyads, and throughout lactation. Mean infant intake for total lipids was 29.7 ± 9.4 g/day. Intake of many fatty acids, including long chain fatty acids, such as C15:0, C18:1, and C18:2, were positively associated with infant growth (p < 0.001). This study identified important findings for many human milk fatty acids not previously described, including C15:0 and C18:2 species. Infant total lipid intake and fatty acid intake perform essential roles in infant growth and development. This study highlights the importance of human milk sampling, analytical methods, and estimating infant intake in relation to infant outcomes. Indeed, these factors should be carefully considered in future research.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, A.D.G. and D.T.G.; formal analysis, A.D.G., M.C.L.G. and K.M.; investigation, A.D.G., M.C.L.G., M.E.W. and D.T.G.; methodology, A.D.G. and M.C.L.G.; supervision, M.C.L.G., M.E.W., K.M. and D.T.G.; writing—original draft, A.D.G.; writing—review and editing, A.D.G., M.E.W., K.M. and D.T.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
Financial support was provided by Medela AG. Medela AG had no role in the study design or interpretation, writing of the manuscript, or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Institutional Review Board Statement
This study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Human Ethics Research Office of The University of Western Australia (RA4/20/4023).
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
Data are available to researchers upon reasonable request.
Conflicts of Interest
D.T.G. declares that she receives salary from Medela AG and declares participation in the Scientific Advisory Board of Medela AG. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
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