Breast milk provides babies with a mix of vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins and fats in an easily digestible form – and it can also be a source of bioactive components that benefit a growing infant’s health and development. What mom eats can modify the type of carbohydrates and bioactive components (carotenoids and polyphenols) found in her breastmilk. While mom’s diet is the main driver of the carbohydrate types found in her breastmilk, her FUT2 secretor status, a genetic trait that can change the bacteria in the gut, can add further variability. In a secondary analysis, investigators at the ACNC examined the effect of maternal diet on carotenoids and polyphenols in breastmilk as well as how changes in maternal diet modify these bioactives (carotenoids, polyphenols, oligosaccharides) depending on her FUT2 secretor phenotype.
Breastfeeding moms with obesity were provided a meal plan consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Breastmilk was collected at baseline and after the 4-week meal plan intervention. Moms were also tested to determine their FUT2 secretor phenotype. Maternal diet influenced the composition of carbohydrates and polyphenol metabolites differently based on whether mom was a FUT2 secretor. This work highlights the importance of non-dietary factors in understanding how changes in maternal diet can affect bioactives available in her breast milk.
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