Examining the relationship between maternal body size, gestational glucose tolerance status, mode of delivery and ethnicity on human milk microbiota at three months post-partum
Open Access
- 20 July 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in BMC Microbiology
- Vol. 20 (1), 1-14
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-020-01901-9
Abstract
Few studies have examined how maternal body mass index (BMI), mode of delivery and ethnicity affect the microbial composition of human milk and none have examined associations with maternal metabolic status. Given the high prevalence of maternal adiposity and impaired glucose metabolism, we systematically investigated the associations between these maternal factors in women ≥20 years and milk microbial composition and predicted functionality by V4-16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing (NCT01405547; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01405547). Demographic data, weight, height, and a 3-h oral glucose tolerance test were gathered at 30 (95% CI: 25–33) weeks gestation, and milk samples were collected at 3 months post-partum (n = 113). Multivariable linear regression analyses demonstrated no significant associations between maternal characteristics (maternal BMI [pre-pregnancy, 3 months post-partum], glucose tolerance, mode of delivery and ethnicity) and milk microbiota alpha-diversity; however, pre-pregnancy BMI was associated with human milk microbiota beta-diversity (Bray-Curtis R2 = 0.037). Women with a pre-pregnancy BMI > 30 kg/m2 (obese) had a greater incidence of Bacteroidetes (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 3.70 [95% CI: 1.61–8.48]) and a reduced incidence of Proteobacteria (0.62 [0.43–0.90]) in their milk, compared to women with an overweight BMI (25.0–29.9 kg/m2) as assessed by multivariable Poisson regression. An increased incidence of Gemella was observed among mothers with gestational diabetes who had an overweight BMI versus healthy range BMI (5.96 [1.85–19.21]). An increased incidence of Gemella was also observed among mothers with impaired glucose tolerance with an obese BMI versus mothers with a healthy range BMI (4.04 [1.63–10.01]). An increased incidence of Brevundimonas (16.70 [5.99–46.57]) was found in the milk of women who underwent an unscheduled C-section versus vaginal delivery. Lastly, functional gene inference demonstrated that pre-pregnancy obesity was associated with an increased abundance of genes encoding for the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites pathway in milk (coefficient = 0.0024, PFDR < 0.1). Human milk has a diverse microbiota of which its diversity and differential abundance appear associated with maternal BMI, glucose tolerance status, mode of delivery, and ethnicity. Further research is warranted to determine whether this variability in the milk microbiota impacts colonization of the infant gut.Keywords
Funding Information
- CIHR MOP (125997)
- CDA Operating Grant (OG-3-09-2393)
- CIHR Foundation grant (FDN 143233)
This publication has 45 references indexed in Scilit:
- Composition and Variation of the Human Milk Microbiota Are Influenced by Maternal and Early-Life FactorsCell Host & Microbe, 2019
- Distinct Patterns in Human Milk Microbiota and Fatty Acid Profiles Across Specific Geographic LocationsFrontiers in Microbiology, 2016
- Looking for a Signal in the Noise: Revisiting Obesity and the MicrobiomemBio, 2016
- The Origin of Human Milk Bacteria: Is There a Bacterial Entero-Mammary Pathway during Late Pregnancy and Lactation?Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal, 2014
- Vertical mother-neonate transfer of maternal gut bacteria via breastfeedingEnvironmental Microbiology, 2014
- Gut microbiota of healthy Canadian infants: profiles by mode of delivery and infant diet at 4 monthsCMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2013
- Ultra-high-throughput microbial community analysis on the Illumina HiSeq and MiSeq platformsThe ISME Journal, 2012
- PHYLOSEQ: A BIOCONDUCTOR PACKAGE FOR HANDLING AND ANALYSIS OF HIGH-THROUGHPUT PHYLOGENETIC SEQUENCE DATABiocomputing 2020, 2011
- An ecological perspective of microbial secondary metabolismCurrent Opinion in Biotechnology, 2011
- Secondary metabolic gene clusters: evolutionary toolkits for chemical innovationTrends in Genetics, 2010