LOS ANGELES, Oct. 31 (UPI) — Researchers have identified some components found in breast milk may be connected to the transmission of obesity from mother to child.
In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition this week, scientists at the University of Southern California conclude human milk oligosaccharides, or HMOs, can influence infant growth and promote obesity in babies before they turn six months old.
Two specific HMOs — LNFPII and DSLNT — are considered the main culprits affecting the phenomenon.
According to the study, the HMOs — the third most present ingredient in human breast milk and major immune system-builder — are linked to the generally unsolved mystery behind how mothers biologically transmit obesity to their children.
HMOs are non-nutritious and can’t be digested. Instead, they accumulate in an infant’s colon and play a role in shaping the baby’s gut microbiome, the array of microorganisms the populate the intestine.
The particular makeup of an individual’s gut microbiome as been linked not just with physical issues such as obesity, diabetes and cancer, but also psychiatric disorders.
“Early life experiences related to the environment an different feeding modalities contribute to obesity,” said the study’s director Michael Goran of the Childhood Obesity Research Center. “But typically we think of obesity risk kicking in after weaning — the timing of introduction to solid foods, early exposures to sugary beverages. Clearly there is something going on before weaning even in babies who are exclusively breastfed.”
The small study consisted of 25 mothers and their breastfeeding babies; scientists intended to expand the study to develop more clear conclusions following the new findings. Contributing factors determining the nutritional value and obesity-causing characteristics of breast milk have yet to be studied in depth, a USC report says.
“To our knowledge, there are no studies examining how HMOs are affected by the mothers’ diet,” lead author Tanya Alderete said. “It would be very interesting if dietary sugar or fat consumption were found to be related to HMOs. That is something we hope to explore in future studies.”
