Breast Milk Micronutrients and Infant Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Micronutrients are fundamental for healthy brain development and deficiencies during early development can have a severe and lasting impact on cognitive outcomes. Evidence indicates that undernourished lactating individuals may produce breast milk containing lower concentrations of certain vitamins and minerals. Exclusively breastfed infants born to mothers deficient in micronutrients may therefore be at risk of micronutrient deficiencies, with potential implications for neurodevelopment. This systematic review aims to consider current knowledge on the effects of breast milk micronutrients on the developmental outcomes of infants. The databases Medline, Global Health, PsychInfo, Open Grey, and the Web of Science were searched for papers published before February 2021. Studies were included if they measured micronutrients in breast milk and their association with the neurodevelopmental outcomes of exclusively breastfed infants. Also, randomised control trials investigating neurocognitive outcomes following maternal supplementation during lactation were sought. From 5477 initial results, three observational studies were eligible for inclusion. These investigated associations between breast milk levels of vitamin B6, carotenoids, or selenium and infant development. Results presented suggest that pyroxidal, β-carotene, and lycopene are associated with infant neurodevelopmental outcomes. Limited eligible literature and heterogeneity between included papers prevented quantitative synthesis. Insufficient evidence was identified, precluding any conclusions on the relationship between breast milk micronutrients and infant developmental outcomes. Further, the evidence available was limited by a high risk of bias. This highlights the need for further research in this area to understand the long-term influence of micronutrients in breast milk, the role of other breast milk micronutrients in infant neurodevelopmental outcomes, and the impact of possible lactational interventions.

Human Milk Extracellular Vesicles: A Biological System with Clinical Implications

“…However, promising associations were observed between miR-148a-3p (the most abundant hMEV-derived miRNA) and neuroprotection in Alzheimer’s Disease [ 115 , 116 ], ischemic stroke [ 117 ], and temporal lobe epilepsy [ 118 ]. In both term and preterm infants, human milk feeding is associated with improved neurodevelopmental outcomes [ 157 , 158 ]. This has been partially attributed to hMOS, including 2’FL, 3’-sialyllactose (3’SL) and 6’-sialyllactose (6’SL), for their contribution to synaptic formation, neuro-transmission, and memory improvement [ 159 , 160 , 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 , 165 ].…”

Association of developmental coordination disorder with early-life exposure to fine particulate matter in Chinese preschoolers

“…One possible reason lies in that breastfeeding contains rich fatty acids (such as docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid), which are key compounds to form the main structures of neuronal membranes. 39 , 40 Additionally, breastfeeding is beneficial to children’s brain development, possibly by boosting the immunity of infants. 41 , 42 We also observed larger effects of PM 2.5 exposure in children living in rural areas and who had a history of NICU admission compared with their counterparts.…”

Human milk microbial species are associated with infant head-circumference during early and late lactation in Guatemalan mother-infant dyads

“…Most recent papers that discussed the relationship between human milk and early life brain development had highlighted the role of hormones and neural growth factors ( Kim and Yi, 2020 ) or discussed the role of human milk exposure in promoting cortical indices and improving neurocognitive outcomes ( Sullivan et al, 2022 ). However, there exists a lack of consensus on nutrients in human milk that contribute to brain development ( Walfisch et al, 2013 ; Lockyer et al, 2021 ). In this study, we explored the association between infant HCAZ and shifts in the human milk microbiome.…”