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Human milk cholesterol is associated with lactation stage and maternal plasma cholesterol in Chinese populations

Pediatric Research volume 91, pages 970–976 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Milk cholesterol concentrations throughout lactation were analyzed, and the relationship between maternal plasma cholesterol and milk cholesterol in various Chinese populations was examined.

Methods

A sub-sample of 1138 lactating women was randomly selected from a large cross-sectional study in China (n = 6481). Milk cholesterol concentrations were determined by HPLC, and concentrations of maternal plasma lipids were determined by an automated biochemical analyzer.

Results

The mean cholesterol concentrations were 200, 171, and 126 mg/L for colostrum, transitional milk, and mature milk, respectively. Cholesterol concentrations differed significantly between stages of lactation (colostrum vs. transitional milk, colostrum vs. mature milk, transitional milk vs. mature milk, all p < 0.001). Concentrations of maternal plasma total cholesterol (TC) (p = 0.02) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (p = 0.03) were significantly associated with milk cholesterol. Milk cholesterol concentrations varied among different ethnicities (Tibetan vs. Hui: 164 vs. 131 mg/L, p = 0.027) but not among different geographic regions.

Conclusions

The concentration of cholesterol in human milk changes dynamically throughout lactation. Milk cholesterol concentrations are significantly associated with maternal plasma concentrations of TC and LDL-C, and milk cholesterol concentrations vary across ethnicities in China.

Impact

  • Concentrations of milk cholesterol were measured in various Chinese populations.

  • Cholesterol concentrations differ significantly between stages of lactation.

  • Maternal plasma total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol are associated with milk cholesterol.

  • Milk cholesterol concentrations vary across ethnicities in China.

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Fig. 1: Flow diagram of study design.
Fig. 2: Milk cholesterol concentration changes at various lactation stages in Chinese populations.
Fig. 3: Maternal plasma lipid concentrations and association with milk cholesterol concentration.
Fig. 4: Maternal plasma TC and LDL-C concentrations.
Fig. 5: Milk cholesterol concentrations among various ethnicities in China.

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Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate Judith Hills for critical reading of the manuscript. The authors would like to thank all the mothers who attended this study and field workers who conducted the milk collections. This study was supported by Beijing Natural Science Foundation (S160002), the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFD0400601), and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) (2010AA023004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China

    Zhenyu Yang, Jie Wang, Yifan Duan, Xuehong Pang, Shan Jiang, Ye Bi, Huanmei Zhang, Shuxia Wang, Jianqiang Lai & Shian Yin

  2. Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

    Rulan Jiang & Bo Lönnerdal

  3. Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China

    Hong Li

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  1. Zhenyu Yang
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Contributions

Z.Y., R.J., and B.L. drafted the manuscript; H.L. conducted the laboratory analyses; S.Y., Z.Y., J.L., J.W., and Y.D. supervised the field work; X.P., S.J., Y.B., H.Z., and S.W. did the sample selection; S.Y., Z.Y., and J.L. designed the study and are responsible for final content. All authors have read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jianqiang Lai.

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Yang, Z., Jiang, R., Li, H. et al. Human milk cholesterol is associated with lactation stage and maternal plasma cholesterol in Chinese populations. Pediatr Res 91, 970–976 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-021-01440-7

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