Dietary Patterns Affect Maternal Macronutrient Intake Levels and the Fatty Acid Profile of Breast Milk in Lactating Chinese Mothers

Objectives: Fatty acids (FA) in human milk play an important role in meeting the nutritional demands and promoting the growth and development of breastfeeding infants. Breast milk FA is sensitive to maternal dietary habits, and dietary patterns are better used to explain the effect of diet on FA. Few studies have examined the association between maternal dietary patterns and the FA components of breast milk in developing countries. In this study, we aimed to determine whether dietary patterns affect the FA profile of breast milk in lactating Chinese mothers with the overall goal to optimize the management of infant feeding.

Methods: A total of 274 lactating women ranging from 22 d to 6 mo postpartum were included, and samples of their breast milk were collected together with completed questionnaires. Using a principal component analysis, four dietary patterns were identified in a rotated component matrix. FA profiles were detected using capillary gas chromatography and presented as the percentage by weight of total FA.

Results: Maternal intake of energy, carbohydrates, and proteins showed differences between the different dietary patterns. In addition, there were significant differences in the total proportions of saturated, polyunsaturated, and ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in breast milk among the four patterns (P < 0.001; P = 0.025; P = 0.038, respectively).

Conclusions: The results demonstrate that maternal dietary patterns can affect macronutrient intake levels and milk FA profiles in lactating Chinese women. These results are of great significance in understanding how a maternal diet can both improve maternal macronutrient intake and the FA nutritional status of breast milk.