4. Conclusion
This study introduced a previously developed UPLC-Q-TOF-MS method for
the qualitative and quantitative detection of TAGs in 180 Chinese breast
milk samples. According to the proportion of the three major nutrients
(fat, carbohydrate, and protein) in the maternal diet, they were divided
into three groups to explore the potential correlation between fat
composition in Chinese breast milk and maternal dietary factors.
Lactation is a physiological state, which poses a major challenge to
maternal energy homeostasis due to its high demand for energy.
Maternal carbohydrate energy ratio was positively correlated with the
amount of MLCT in breast milk (P < 0.05), protein with
UPU triglycerides (P < 0.01) and fat with SSU (P< 0.05). However, the total content of MLCT and UPU were not
significantly associated with the energy supply ratio of the three major
nutrients. Comparison of the triglyceride composition in different
groups showed that the total amount of MLCT in breast milk was
significantly higher in the carbohydrate group than in the other two
groups (P < 0.05). Further, the content of 8:0-MLL,
10:0-MLL and 12:0-MLL in the carbohydrate group was significantly higher
than that in the proteome (P < 0.05). The total amount
of UPU in the proteome breast milk was significantly higher than that in
the carbohydrate and fat groups (P < 0.05). There was
no significant difference in total content of MLCT and UPU in different
groups.
There are two limitations of the current study that should be deeper
studied in the future. Firstly, in the dietary recall survey, many
participants were unable to identify specific cooking vegetable oil
types or report the use of mixed oils; which limits the further analysis
of the effect of each vegetable oil on the fat composition of breast
milk. Secondly, the recruitment of lactating women only focused on the
Jiangsu Province which lacking representation. Therefore, a diverse and
larger population needs to be studied in the future to confirm these
results, considering possible interactions and confounding factors. The
digestive characteristics of different types of MLCT in the
gastrointestinal tract of infants also need further study.