Highlights
- •Breastmilk plasmalogen concentration differs over the postpartum period
- •Obesity may play a role in determining breast milk plasmalogen composition
- •Breast milk plasmalogen concentration may contribute to infant adiposity
ABSTRACT
Purpose
Ethanolamine-containing plasmalogens (pPEs) are a unique class of breastmilk (BM)
glycerophospholipids containing a vinyl-ether at the sn-1 and a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) at the sn-2 position of the glycerol moiety. pPEs are present in the milk fat globule membrane,
accumulate in the infant brain, and have been implicated in infant development. The
study objectives were to: (1) describe the composition of BM pPEs and the variation
in monomers at both the sn-1 and sn-2 positions; and (2) quantify the associations between BM pPEs and maternal predictors
(body mass index, race, dietary fatty acid intake, gestational age at birth, and days’
postpartum). Secondary objectives were to explore the relationship between BM pPEs
and infant anthropometrics and neurodevelopment.
Methods
This was a secondary analysis of 39 mother–infant dyads in the control group of a
randomized controlled trial of vitamin D supplementation during lactation. BM samples
and data regarding maternal diet, infant anthropometrics (weight, fat mass index,
and fat-free mass index by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), and infant development
were collected at 1 month (visit 1 [V1], n = 37) and 4 months’ (visit 4 [V4], n =
39) postpartum. BM pPEs were extracted and quantified by using ultra-HPLC/high-resolution
MS/MS at V1 and V4 and expressed as percent mass of total phospholipids. Associations
of pPEs with infant development and anthropometrics were modeled using linear regression.
Findings
C(18:0) vinyl ethers and C(18:2) polyunsaturated fatty acid–enriched pPEs predominate
in BM. Specific pPEs, as a proportion of total phospholipids, decreased between V1
and V4. Higher maternal body mass index was associated with lower BM pPEs in unadjusted
models, but this association was attenuated after adjustment for race, diet, and days’
postpartum. Maternal fatty acid intake, gestational age, and days’ postpartum were
not associated with BM pPEs. Total pPEs at V1 were negatively associated with infant
fat mass index and positively associated with fat-free mass index at V1 and V4. BM
pPE concentrations were not correlated with neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Implications
BM pPEs decrease over lactation and are associated with lower infant adiposity and
higher lean mass. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00412074.
Key words
Abbreviations:
BM (breastmilk), MFG (milk fat globule), pPE(s) (ethanolamine containing plasmalogen(s)), PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid), BMI (body mass index), V1 (visit 1, one month postpartum), V4 (visit 4, four months postpartum), FMI (fat mass index), FFMI (fat-free mass index), DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Clinical TherapeuticsAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Chemistry of human breast milk—a comprehensive review of the composition and role of milk metabolites in child development.J Agric Food Chem. 2018; 66: 11881-11896
Breastfeeding. Accessed October 6, 2021. https://www.who.int/westernpacific/health-topics/breastfeeding
- Human milk plasmalogens are highly enriched in long-chain PUFAs.J Nutr. 2016; 146: 2412-2417
- Clinical benefits of milk fat globule membranes for infants and children.J Pediatr. 2016; 173 (Suppl:S60-S65)
- Functions of plasmalogen lipids in health and disease.Biochim Biophys Acta. 2012; 1822: 1442-1452
- Plasmalogens the neglected regulatory and scavenging lipid species.Chem Phys Lipids. 2011; 164: 573-589
- Plasmalogens: biosynthesis and functions.Prog Lipid Res. 2001; 40: 199-229
- Profiling of phospholipid molecular species in human breast milk of Chinese mothers and comprehensive analysis of phospholipidomic characteristics at different lactation stages.Food Chem. 2021; 348129091
- Functions and biosynthesis of plasmalogens in health and disease.Biochim Biophys Acta. 2004; 1636: 219-231
- Compositional dynamics of the milk fat globule and its role in infant development.Front Pediatr. 2018; 6: 313
- Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity attenuates response to omega-3 fatty acids supplementation during pregnancy.Nutrients. 2018; 10: E1908
Peristats | March of Dimes. Accessed October 6, 2021. https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/Peristats.aspx
- Oxidative stress and metabolic disorders: Pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies.Life Sci. 2016; 148: 183-193
- Oxidative stress leads to reduction of plasmalogen serving as a novel biomarker for systemic lupus erythematosus.Free Radic Biol Med. 2016; 101: 475-481
- The biological significance of plasmalogens in defense against oxidative damage.Exp Gerontol. 1998; 33: 363-369
- Maternal versus infant vitamin D supplementation during lactation: a randomized controlled trial.Pediatrics. 2015; 136: 625-634
- Targeting modified lipids during routine lipidomics analysis using HILIC and C30 reverse phase liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.Sci Rep. 2019; 9: 5048
- Big game cervid meat as a potential good source of plasmalogens for functional foods.J Food Compos Anal. 2021; 96103724
- Validity and reliability of the Block98 food-frequency questionnaire in a sample of Canadian women.Public Health Nutr. 2006; 9: 84-93
Body mass index-BMI. Accessed November 9, 2021. https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/nutrition/a-healthy-lifestyle/body-mass-index-bmi
- Maternal obesity, 25-hydroxy vitamin D concentration, and bone density in breastfeeding dyads.J Pediatr. 2017; 187 (147-152.e1)
- Body composition interpretation. Contributions of the fat-free mass index and the body fat mass index.Nutrition. 2003; 19: 597-604
- High-dose vitamin D3 supplementation in a cohort of breastfeeding mothers and their infants: a 6-month follow-up pilot study.Breastfeed Med. 2006; 1: 59-70
- The impact of maternal obesity and breast milk inflammation on developmental programming of infant growth.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2021; 75: 180-188
- Human milk composition: nutrients and bioactive factors.Pediatr Clin North Am. 2013; 60: 49-74
- Macronutrient-mediated inflammation and oxidative stress: relevance to insulin resistance, obesity, and atherogenesis.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2019; 104: 6118-6128
- Impact of maternal nutrition on breast-milk composition: a systematic review.Am J Clin Nutr. 2016; 104: 646-662
- Dietary variety within food groups: association with energy intake and body fatness in men and women.Am J Clin Nutr. 1999; 69: 440-447
- Impact of maternal diet on human milk composition and neurological development of infants.Am J Clin Nutr. 2014; 99: 734S-741S
- Macro- and micronutrients of human milk composition: are they related to maternal diet? A comprehensive systematic review.Breastfeed Med. 2017; 12: 517-527
- Maternal obesity and the human milk metabolome: associations with infant body composition and postnatal weight gain.Am J Clin Nutr. 2019; 110: 111-120
- Peroxisome-derived lipids regulate adipose thermogenesis by mediating cold-induced mitochondrial fission.J Clin Invest. 2019; 129: 694-711
- Increased neonatal fat mass, not lean body mass, is associated with maternal obesity.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006; 195: 1100-1103
- Impact of maternal overweight and obesity on milk composition and infant growth.Matern Child Nutr. 2020; 16: e12979
- Peroxisomes in brain development and function.Biochim Biophys Acta. 2016; 1863: 934-955
- Impact of a standard rodent chow diet on tissue n-6 fatty acids, δ9-desaturation index, and plasmalogen mass in rats fed for one year.Lipids. 2015; 50: 1069-1082
- Postnatal development and isolation of peroxisomes from brain.J Neurochem. 1991; 56: 1343-1353
- The Complexity of Understanding Human Milk Components and Infant Brain Development. University of British Columbia, 2016
- Measuring adiposity in patients: the utility of body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, and leptin.PloS One. 2012; 7: e33308
- Longitudinal body composition assessment in healthy term-born infants until 2 years of age using ADP and DXA with vacuum cushion.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2020; 74: 642-650
Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 28, 2022
Accepted:
June 7,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Inc.
