Exploring the impact of maternal factors and dietary habits on human milk oligosaccharide composition in early breastfeeding among Mexican women

Abstract

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) promote adequate intestinal microbiota development and favor the immune system's maturation and cognitive development. In addition to non-modifiable factors, HMOs composition can be influenced by other factors like body mass index and eating habits, but the reports are discrepant. The aim of this work was to describe the correlation between maternal factors and HMOs concentration in colostrum in 70 women from northeastern Mexico categorized into women with normal weight and women with overweight or obesity. The absolute concentration of six HMOs were significantly lower in women with overweight or obesity compared to women with normal weight (LNFPI p = 0.0021, 2’-FL p = 0.0304, LNT p = 0.0492, LNnT p = 0.00026, 3’-SL p = 0.0476, 6’-SL p = 0.00041). Another main finding was that the frequency of consumption of food groups such as vegetables, fruits and meats was positively correlated to specific HMOs (Poblano chili and 2’-FL; rs = 0.702, p = 0.0012; Orange or tangerine and 3-FL; rs = 0.428, p = 0.0022; Chicken and 2'-FL; rs = 0.615, p = 0.0039). This study contributes to the elucidation of how maternal factors influence the composition of HMOs and opens possibilities for future research aimed at mitigating overweight or obesity, consequently improving the quality of human milk.