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14 pages, 1333 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Butyrate in Human Milk: Associations with Milk Microbiota, Milk Intake Volume, and Infant Growth

by Laurentya Olga, Janna A. van Diepen, Maciej Chichlowski, Clive J. Petry, Jacques Vervoort, David B. Dunger, Guus A. M. Kortman, Gabriele Gross and Ken K. Ong

Nutrients 2023, 15(4), 916; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15040916 - 11 Feb 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4195

Abstract

Butyrate in human milk (HM) has been suggested to reduce excessive weight and adipo-sity gains during infancy. However, HM butyrate’s origins, determinants, and its influencing mechanism on weight gain are not completely understood. These were studied in the prospective longitudinal Cambridge Baby Growth and Breastfeeding Study (CBGS-BF), in which infants (n = 59) were exclusively breastfed for at least 6 weeks. Infant growth (birth, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months) and HM butyrate concentrations (2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months) were measured. At age 6 weeks, HM intake volume was measured by deuterium-labelled water technique and HM microbiota by 16S sequencing. Cross-sectionally at 6 weeks, HM butyrate was associated with HM microbiota composition (p = 0.036) although no association with the abundance of typical butyrate producers was detected. In longitudinal analyses across all time points, HM butyrate concentrations were overall negatively associated with infant weight and adiposity, and associations were stronger at younger infant ages. HM butyrate concentration was also inversely correlated with HM intake volume, supporting a possible mechanism whereby butyrate might reduce infant growth via appetite regulation and modulation of HM intake. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Influence of the Composition of Breast Milk on the Risk of Childhood Obesity)

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7 pages, 208 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Sanitary Conditions on the Farm Alters Fecal Metabolite Profile in Growing Pigs

by Soumya K. Kar, Marinus F. W. te Pas, Leo Kruijt, Jacques J. M. Vervoort, Alfons J. M. Jansman and Dirkjan Schokker

Metabolites 2022, 12(6), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12060538 - 11 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2294

Abstract

The aim of this study was to use fecal metabolite profiling to evaluate the effects of contrasting sanitary conditions and the associated subclinical health status of pigs. We analyzed fecal metabolite profiles by nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) from pigs aged 14 and 22 weeks. Pigs kept under low and high sanitary conditions differed in fecal metabolites related to the degradation of dietary starch, metabolism of the gut microbiome, and degradation of components of animal (host) origin. The metabolites that differed significantly (FDR < 0.1) were from metabolic processes involved in either maintaining nutrient digestive capacity, including purine metabolism, energy metabolism, bile acid breakdown and recycling, or immune system metabolism. The results show that the fecal metabolite profiles reflect the sanitary conditions under which the pigs are kept. The fecal metabolite profiles closely resembled the profiles of metabolites found in the colon of pigs. Fecal valerate and kynurenic acid could potentially be used as “non-invasive” biomarkers of immune or inflammatory status that could form the basis for monitoring subclinical health status in pigs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal and Cellular Models in Metabolomics Research Volume 2)

10 pages, 1409 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Extensive Study of Breast Milk and Infant Growth: Protocol of the Cambridge Baby Growth and Breastfeeding Study (CBGS-BF)

by Laurentya Olga, Clive J. Petry, Janna A. van Diepen, Philippa M. Prentice, Ieuan A. Hughes, Jacques Vervoort, Jos Boekhorst, Maciej Chichlowski, Gabriele Gross, David B. Dunger and Ken K. Ong

Nutrients 2021, 13(8), 2879; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082879 - 21 Aug 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 6233

Abstract

Growth and nutrition during early life have been strongly linked to future health and metabolic risks. The Cambridge Baby Growth Study (CBGS), a longitudinal birth cohort of 2229 mother–infant pairs, was set up in 2001 to investigate early life determinant factors of infant growth and body composition in the UK setting. To carry out extensive profiling of breastmilk intakes and composition in relation to infancy growth, the Cambridge Baby Growth and Breastfeeding Study (CBGS-BF) was established upon the original CBGS. The strict inclusion criteria were applied, focusing on a normal birth weight vaginally delivered infant cohort born of healthy and non-obese mothers. Crucially, only infants who were exclusively breastfed for the first 6 weeks of life were retained in the analysed study sample. At each visit from birth, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and then at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, longitudinal anthropometric measurements and blood spot collections were conducted. Infant body composition was assessed using air displacement plethysmography (ADP) at 6 weeks and 3 months of age. Breast milk was collected for macronutrients and human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) measurements. Breast milk intake volume was also estimated, as well as sterile breastmilk and infant stool collection for microbiome study. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Pediatric Nutrition)

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17 pages, 1447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Maternal Allergy and the Presence of Nonhuman Proteinaceous Molecules in Human Milk

by Pieter M. Dekker, Sjef Boeren, Alet H. Wijga, Gerard H. Koppelman, Jacques J. M. Vervoort and Kasper A. Hettinga

Nutrients 2020, 12(4), 1169; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12041169 - 22 Apr 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4509

Abstract

Human milk contains proteins and/or protein fragments that originate from nonhuman organisms. These proteinaceous molecules, of which the secretion might be related to the mother’s allergy status, could be involved in the development of the immune system of the infant. This may lead, for example, to sensitization or the induction of allergen-specific tolerance. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between maternal allergy and the levels of nonhuman proteinaceous molecules in their milk. In this study, we analysed trypsin-digested human milk serum proteins of 10 allergic mothers and 10 nonallergic mothers. A search was carried out to identify peptide sequences originating from bovine or other allergenic proteins. Several methods were applied to confirm the identification of these sequences, and the differences between both groups were investigated. Out of the 78 identified nonhuman peptide sequences, 62 sequences matched Bos taurus proteins. Eight peptide sequences of bovine

β

-lactoglobulin had significantly higher levels in milk from allergic mothers than in milk from nonallergic mothers. Dietary bovine

β

-lactoglobulin may be absorbed through the intestinal barrier and secreted into human milk. This seems to be significantly higher in allergic mothers and might have consequences for the development of the immune system of their breastfed infant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Milk, HMO, Lactation and Application in Infant Feeding)

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