Human milk microbiome: associations with maternal diet and infant growth.

Introduction: Ingestion of human milk (HM) is identified as a significant factor associated with early infant gut microbial colonization, which has been associated with infant health and development. Maternal diet has been associated with the HM microbiome (HMM). However, a few studies have explored the associations among maternal diet, HMM, and infant growth during the first 6 months of lactation.

Human milk microbial species are associated with infant head-circumference during early and late lactation in Guatemalan mother-infant dyads.

Human milk contains abundant commensal bacteria that colonize and establish the infant's gut microbiome but the association between the milk microbiome and head circumference during infancy has not been explored. For this cross-sectional study, head-circumference-for-age-z-scores (HCAZ) of vaginally delivered breastfed infants were collected from 62 unrelated -Mayan mothers living in eight remote rural communities in the Western Highlands of Guatemala during two stages of lactation, 'early' (6-46 days postpartum, = 29) or 'late' (109-184 days postpartum, = 33). At each stage of lactation, infants were divided into HCAZ ≥ -1 SD (early: = 18; late: = 14) and HCAZ < -1 SD (early: = 11; late: = 19).

Human Milk Microbiota in an Indigenous Population Is Associated with Maternal Factors, Stage of Lactation, and Breastfeeding Practices.

Background: Human milk contains a diverse community of bacteria that are modified by maternal factors, but whether these or other factors are similar in developing countries has not been explored. Our objective was to determine whether the milk microbiota was modified by maternal age, BMI, parity, lactation stage, subclinical mastitis (SCM), and breastfeeding practices in the first 6 mo of lactation in an indigenous population from Guatemala.

Methods: For this cross-sectional study, -Mayan indigenous mothers nursing infants aged <6 mo were recruited.

Choline prevents fetal overgrowth and normalizes placental fatty acid and glucose metabolism in a mouse model of maternal obesity.

Maternal obesity increases placental transport of macronutrients, resulting in fetal overgrowth and obesity later in life. Choline participates in fatty acid metabolism, serves as a methyl donor and influences growth signaling, which may modify placental macronutrient homeostasis and affect fetal growth. Using a mouse model of maternal obesity, we assessed the effect of maternal choline supplementation on preventing fetal overgrowth and restoring placental macronutrient homeostasis.