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.