Breast Milk from Frequent Trans Fatty Acid Consumers Shows High Triglyceride and Glucose Levels,but Low Cholesterol and Apolipoprotein A-I levels,with Resulting Impaired In Vitro Zebrafish Embryo Growth and Survival

Abstract

Abstract

Background:

It is well known that breast milk is the best nutritional source for infant growth. However, there has been no information about the quality of breast milk from individuals who daily consume a trans fatty acid (TFA)-enriched diet.

Subjects and Methods:

We performed compositional and functional analyses with breast milk from lactating mothers, in terms of lipid content and zebrafish embryo survivability, among individuals who daily consumed TFA-enriched food (n = 5), normal diet as control (n = 5), and powder formula (n = 5).

Results:

In lipid content of breast milk, the control group showed 2.5- and 4.5-fold higher cholesterol content than the TFA group and infant formula, respectively. The TFA group and infant formula showed 1.8- and 2.0-fold higher triglyceride (TG) than the control group. Moreover, the TFA group and formula showed 1.4- and 4.8-fold higher glucose levels compared with control. The TFA group also showed 25% lower protein content than control. Microinjection with breast milk (50 nL) from the TFA group showed significantly lower zebrafish embryo survivability (50% ± 4%) compared with the control (66% ± 5%), whereas microinjection with formula showed the lowest survivability (39% ± 5%) with the slowest developmental speed. Immunodetection revealed that breast milk from the TFA group showed smaller-sized apoA-I (25.5 ± 0.6 kDa) than that from the control group (27.5 ± 1.5 kDa), whereas formula did not contain apoA-I. Larger apoA-I size in breast milk was directly associated with higher embryo survivability.

Conclusions:

Breast milk from the TFA group showed increased TG and loss of cholesterol, lactalbumin (14 kDa), and apoA-I proteins, resulting in functional impairment of development and growth.