Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation in pregnancy and early lactation: Impacts on breast milk docosahexaenoic acid and Maternal–Infant gut microbiota – A randomized controlled trial

IF 7.4 2区医学 Q1 NUTRITION & DIETETICS

Clinical nutrition Pub Date : 2025-09-23 DOI:10.1016/j.clnu.2025.09.006

Tingchao He , Jian Zhang , Ai Zhao , Sha Luo , Hua Jiang , Minghua Tang , Yumei Zhang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aim

This study aimed to evaluate whether docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation during pregnancy increases DHA concentrations in colostrum among Chinese women, and to determine whether continued postpartum supplementation is necessary to sustain DHA levels throughout lactation. Additionally, the study examined the impact of maternal DHA supplementation on the gut microbiota of both mothers and their infants.

Methods

79 pregnant women were enrolled in this multicenter, double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel trial and were randomized to three groups (CC, control group; FC, DHA supplementation in the third trimester; FF, DHA supplementation from the third trimester to 42 days postpartum). Participants in the FF and FC groups were administered 100 mg/day DHA via milk powder and those in the CC group were administered milk powder without DHA fortification. Breast milk was collected - on days 3 and 42 postpartum. Fatty acid composition in breast milk was measured with gas chromatography and expressed as percentage of total fatty acids by weight. Fecal samples from mothers (at gestational week 28, 38 and 42 days postpartum) and infants (at 3 and 42 days of age) were collected, then analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing.

Results

The FF group had significantly higher levels of DHA in colostrum than the other two groups (FF: 1.49%, FC: 1.27%, CC: 1.11, P-ANCOVA = 0.018) but not in early mature milk (FF: 0.94%, FC: 0.82%, CC: 0.85%, P-ANCOVA = 0.646). At 42 days postpartum, both mothers and infants in the FF group exhibited a higher abundance of the genus Lactobacillus in the fecal microbiome.

Conclusion

In this cohort of Chinese women, maternal supplementation with 100 mg/day of DHA starting from the third trimester of pregnancy significantly increased DHA concentrations in colostrum. However, 100 mg/day may be insufficient to sustain DHA levels beyond colostrum. Additionally, maternal DHA supplementation was found to influence Lactobacillus abundance at 42 days postpartum of both mothers and their infants. Future studies should explore higher DHA doses for long-term lactation stability, and investigate dynamic changes in other gut microbiota taxa and microbiota-mediated health effects.

Clinical trial registration

ChinaClinicalTrial.gov (ChiCTR1800019461).

查看原文本刊更多论文

妊娠和哺乳期早期补充二十二碳六烯酸：对母乳二十二碳六烯酸和母婴肠道微生物群的影响-一项随机对照试验

目的本研究旨在评估妊娠期补充二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）是否会增加中国妇女初乳中的DHA浓度，并确定是否有必要在产后继续补充DHA以维持整个哺乳期的DHA水平。此外，该研究还检查了母亲补充DHA对母亲及其婴儿肠道微生物群的影响。方法79例孕妇采用多中心、双盲、随机、安慰剂对照、平行试验，随机分为3组（CC组，对照组；FC组，妊娠晚期补充DHA； FF组，妊娠晚期至产后42天补充DHA）。FF组和FC组通过奶粉给予100 mg/d DHA， CC组给予不加DHA的奶粉。在产后第3天和第42天采集母乳。用气相色谱法测定母乳中的脂肪酸组成，并以总脂肪酸的重量百分比表示。收集母亲（产后28、38和42天）和婴儿（3和42天）的粪便样本，然后使用16S rRNA测序进行分析。结果FF组初乳DHA含量显著高于其他两组（FF: 1.49%, FC: 1.27%, CC: 1.11, P-ANCOVA = 0.018），而早乳DHA含量低于FF组（FF: 0.94%, FC: 0.82%, CC: 0.85%, P-ANCOVA = 0.646）。在产后42天，FF组的母亲和婴儿在粪便微生物群中都表现出更高的乳酸杆菌属丰度。结论在这组中国妇女中，母亲从妊娠晚期开始补充100 mg/天的DHA可显著提高初乳中的DHA浓度。然而，100毫克/天可能不足以维持超过初乳的DHA水平。此外，发现母亲补充DHA会影响产后42天母亲及其婴儿的乳酸杆菌丰度。未来的研究应该探索高DHA剂量对长期哺乳稳定性的影响，并研究其他肠道微生物群的动态变化和微生物群介导的健康影响。临床试验注册：chinacclinicaltrial .gov （ChiCTR1800019461）。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Clinical nutrition 医学-营养学

CiteScore

14.10

自引率

6.30%

发文量

356

审稿时长

28 days

期刊介绍： Clinical Nutrition, the official journal of ESPEN, The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, is an international journal providing essential scientific information on nutritional and metabolic care and the relationship between nutrition and disease both in the setting of basic science and clinical practice. Published bi-monthly, each issue combines original articles and reviews providing an invaluable reference for any specialist concerned with these fields.