Human Milk Oligosaccharide Concentrations and Infant Intakes Are Associated with Maternal Overweight and Obesity and Predict Infant Growth

Abstract

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are bioactive molecules playing a critical role in infant health. We aimed to quantify the composition of HMOs of women with normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m²), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m²), or obesity (30.0-60.0 kg/m²) and determine the effect of HMO intake on infant growth. Human milk (HM) samples collected at 2 months (2 M; <i>n</i> = 194) postpartum were analyzed for HMO concentrations via high-performance liquid chromatography. Infant HM intake, anthropometrics and body composition were assessed at 2 M and 6 M postpartum. Linear regressions and linear mixed-effects models were conducted examining the relationships between maternal BMI and HMO composition and HMO intake and infant growth over the first 6 M, respectively. Maternal obesity was associated with lower concentrations of several fucosylated and sialylated HMOs and infants born to women with obesity had lower intakes of these HMOs. Maternal BMI was positively associated with lacto-N-neotetraose, 3-fucosyllactose, 3-sialyllactose and 6-sialyllactose and negatively associated with disialyllacto-N-tetraose, disialyllacto-N-hexaose, fucodisialyllacto-N-hexaose and total acidic HMOs concentrations at 2 M. Infant intakes of 3-fucosyllactose, 3-sialyllactose, 6-sialyllactose, disialyllacto-N-tetraose, disialyllacto-N-hexaose, and total acidic HMOs were positively associated with infant growth over the first 6 M of life. Maternal obesity is associated with changes in HMO concentrations that are associated with infant adiposity.