Selected elements and fatty acid composition in human milk as indicators of seafood dietary habits

Maternal diet associated with infants' intestinal microbiota mediated by predominant long-chain fatty acid in breast milk

Introduction

Long-chain fatty acids in breast milk are affected by the mother's diet and play an important role in the growth, development, and immune construction of infants. This study aims to explore the correlation between maternal diet, breast milk fatty acids (FAs), and the infant intestinal flora.

Methods

We enrolled 56 paired mothers and their infants; both breast milk samples and infants' fecal samples were collected to determine the long-chain FA content of breast milk by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS), and metagenomic technology was applied to determine the microbial composition of infant feces. The maternal diet was also investigated using a 24-h dietary recall.

Results

The results indicated that the fat contribution rates of edible oils in the maternal diet are significantly positively correlated with the contents of certain long-chain fatty acids (C16:0, C18:1, C16:1, and C22:4) in breast milk, which mainly regulate the abundance of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, Lacticaseibacillus fermentum, and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei in the infant gut. Through KEGG pathway analysis, our data revealed that the long-chain FAs in different groups of breast milk were significantly correlated with the pathways of biotin metabolism, glycerolipid metabolism, and starch and sucrose metabolism.

Discussion

The results of this study suggest a pathway in which the diets of lactating mothers may affect the composition of the infant intestinal microbiota by influencing breast milk FAs and then further regulating infant health.

The concentration of potentially hazardous elements (PHEs) in the muscle of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) and associated health risk

In this study, the concentration of potentially hazardous elements (PHEs) in the muscle of Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) from the Strait of Hormuz was analyzed and following the health risk in the consumers by uncertainty and sensitivity analysis in the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) technique was estimated. Fifty-eight blue card samples (male blue crabs = 33 samples; female blue crabs = 25 samples) were collected in the Strait of Hormuz from May to September 2020 for analysis of Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), and Iron (Fe) using Flame Absorption Spectrometer (FAAS). The order of PHEs in the in muscle male blue crabs was Fe (414.37 ± 288.07 μg/kg.ww) > Pb (238.78 ± 87.83 μg/kg.ww) > Ni (92.57 ± 39.72 μg/kg.ww) > Cd (52.73 ± 18.39 μg/kg.ww) and in female blue crabs Fe (461.16 ± 320.56 μg/kg.ww) > Pb (230.79 ± 125.59 μg/kg.ww) > Ni (84.13 ± 46.07 μg/kg.ww) > Cd (67.412 ± 43.93 μg/kg.ww). The concentration of PHEs muscle of male blue crabs and female blue crabs was not significantly different (P-value > 0.05). Uncertainty of non-carcinogenic risk revealed that P95% of total target hazard quotient (TTHQ) in the adult and children consumers due to ingestion male blue crabs was 5.30E-3 and 1.08E-3, respectively, and P95% of TTHQ in the adult and children due to ingestion female blue crabs was 7.05E-3 and 1.20E-3, respectively. P95% of TTHQ in both adult and children consumers was lower than one value. Therefore, consumers are at the acceptable range of the non-carcinogenic risk due to ingestion muscle of male and female blue crabs in Bandar Abbas. Although the non-carcinogenic risk of blue crab was in the safe range, due to the increase in its consumption and the increase of pollution sources in the Persian Gulf, it is recommended to monitor PHEs in Blue's muscle crabs.

Essential and toxic elements in human milk concentrate with human milk lyophilizate: A preclinical study

Concentrated human milk (HM-concentrate) can be obtained from the simple and inexpensive method of donated breast milk direct lyophilization. A previous study reported that HM-concentrate contains the adequate amount of main macro- and micronutrients for use as a nutritional resource for preterm infants with very low birth weight admitted to neonatal intensive care units. However, further details need to be elucidated about HM-concentrate composition, particularly its content of essential and potentially toxic trace elements. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the concentration of essential and toxic elements in human milk considered baseline (HM-baseline) and HM-concentrate, as well as to quantify changes in concentration of these elements after the HM concentration process. The concentration of Aluminum, Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Iron, Mercury, Manganese, Nickel, Lead, Selenium, Tin, and Thallium was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Moreover, Bayesian linear mixed effect models were applied to estimate the mean difference between HM-baseline and HM-concentrate samples. After comparison (HM-concentrate versus HM-baseline), a significant increase in concentration was observed only for Manganese (0.80 μg/L; 95% CrI [0.16; 1.43]) and Selenium (6.74 μg/L; 95% CrI [4.66; 8.86]), while Lead concentration (-6.13 μg/L; 95% CrI [-8.63; -3.61]) decreased. This study provides latest and reliable information about HM composition. After milk concentration by lyophilization, there was a significant increase only in the essential elements Manganese and Selenium. The essential micronutrient content in HM-concentrate was similar or higher than that in preterm mothers' milk, which suggests it is viable for nutritional support of preterm infants. In addition, the low concentrations of potentially toxic elements in HM-concentrate indicates that it is safe for consumption by premature newborns.

Dietary habits of Slovenian inland and coastal primiparous women and fatty acid composition of their human milk samples

The quantity and composition of fatty acids (FAs) in milk can influence an infant's growth and development through maternal diet. Therefore, associations between maternal diet and FA composition in 74 mature human milk samples were investigated. This study aimed to obtain FA patterns in mature milk arising from different dietary habits in two geographically different areas in Slovenia: Koper (KP), a coastal area, and Pomurje (MS), an inland area. The results revealed statistically significant differences in the dietary intake of game, freshwater fish, and fresh and frozen seafood between the study areas. Among the mean percentages of 35 individual FAs in milk, 19 were higher in KP and 16 were higher in MS. In KP, despite the higher intake of fresh seafood, the levels of saturated and monounsaturated FAs were higher and the levels of PUFAs, ω-3, and ω-6 were lower compared to those in MS. The ω-6:ω-3 ratio did not differ significantly between the study areas. This finding was not expected and indicates a discrepancy between the measured and self-reported data - the latter lack reliable data on dietary supplements. Therefore, determination of FA profile is important as a promising biomarker of dietary intake in environmental health studies.