Buffered or impaired
Maternal anemia, inflammation and breast milk macronutrients in northern Kenya
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8315930 |
|---|---|
| Authors | M Fujita (0000-0001-9173-6678, Department of Anthropology Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan, corresponding author), N Paredes Ruvalcaba (0000-0003-3423-8271, Michigan State University), K Wander (0000-0002-4913-5075, Department of Anthropology Binghamton University (SUNY) Binghamton New York), Mary Corbitt (0000-0002-4400-6282, Department of Anthropology Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan), Eleanor Brindle (0000-0002-4272-0909, Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology University of Washington Seattle Washington) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 168 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 329-339 |
| Publication date | 2019-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/ajpa.23752 |
| PMID | 30575959 |
| OpenAlex | W2905695201 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 64 |
BACKGROUND: Maternal anemia has adverse consequences for the mother-infant dyad. To evaluate whether and how milk nutrient content may change in ways that could "buffer" infants against the conditions underlying maternal anemia, this study assessed associations between milk macronutrients and maternal iron-deficiency anemia (IDA), non-iron-deficiency anemia (NIDA), and inflammation. METHODS: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data and milk from northern Kenya was conducted (n = 204). The combination of hemoglobin and transferrin receptor defined IDA/NIDA. Elevated serum C-reactive protein defined acute inflammation. The effects of IDA, NIDA, and inflammation on milk macronutrients were evaluated in regression models. RESULTS: IDA (β = 0.077, p = .022) and NIDA (β = 0.083, p = .100) predicted higher total protein (ln). IDA (β = -0.293, p = .002), NIDA (β = -0.313, p = .047), and inflammation (β = -0.269, p = .007) each predicted lower fat (ln); however, anemia accompanying inflammation predicted higher fat (β = 0.655, p = .007 for IDA and β = 0.468, p = .092 for NIDA). NIDA predicted higher lactose (β = 1.020, p = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Milk macronutrient content both increases and decreases in the presence of maternal anemia and inflammation, suggesting a more complicated and dynamic change than simple impairment of nutrient delivery during maternal stress. Maternal fat delivery to milk may be impaired under anemia. Mothers may buffer infant nutrition against adverse conditions or poor maternal health by elevating milk protein (mothers with IDA/NIDA), lactose (mothers with NIDA), or fat (mothers with anemia and inflammation). This study demonstrates the foundational importance of maternal micronutrient health and inflammation or infection for advancing the ecological understanding of human milk nutrient variation
Anemia · Biology · Breast feeding · Breast milk · Hemoglobin · Inflammation · Iron deficiency · Iron status · Iron-deficiency anemia · Lactation · Micronutrient · Pregnancy · Soluble transferrin receptor · Biochemistry · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Endocrinology · Immunology · Infant Nutrition and Health · Internal Medicine · Iron Metabolism and Disorders · Medicine · Physiology · Pediatrics
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| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,14 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2025 (7) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |