Fish oil supplementation reduces maternal defensive inflammation and predicts a gut bacteriome with reduced immune priming capacity in infants

Abstract

Habitual supplementation of fish oil is thought to provide benefits to the developing infant; however, the effects on infant microbial establishment and immune development are unknown. A 6-month observational cohort study was conducted where 47 out of 91 women self-administered dietary fish oil during breastfeeding. Infant stool and mothers’ breast milk were collected each month over 6 months. Gas chromatography was used to quantify breast milk fatty acids and high-throughput sequencing was used to assess the infant fecal microbiota. Immune markers and parent-reported questionnaires were used to assess infant immunity and health up to 2 years. Our results reveal that fish oil supplementation decreased secretory immunoglobulin A and increased IL-10 production in lactating women along with increased breast milk eicosapentaenoic acid, and this corresponded to increased abundances of fecal Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus spp. in their infants. Docosahexaenoic acid levels in breast milk aligned with decreases in infant gut bacterial richness and the predicted bacterial phenotypes suggested that fish oil lowers commensal traits involved in pathogen colonization resistance. Despite this, there were no differences in sickness incidence in toddlers. This study revealed that fish oil associates with decreases in breast milk defensive inflammatory responses and corresponds with infant fecal microbiota with anti-inflammatory potential.

Associations among Dietary Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, the Gut Microbiota, and Intestinal Immunity

“…Compared with sunflower oil, the dietary intake of fish oil exerted the greatest effect on the diversity of the intestinal flora [ 13 ]. High levels of omega-3 PUFAs in fish oil cause significant changes in the gut microbiota, which might explain the health benefits of its use [ 14 ]. In addition, fish oil exerts an inhibitory effect on a variety of bacteria.…”

Any Future for Faecal Microbiota Transplantation as a Novel Strategy for Gut Microbiota Modulation in Human and Veterinary Medicine?

“…A diet rich in omega-3 PUFA, such as seafood, deep-sea fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines), nuts, and seeds, has several beneficial effects on the gut microbiota [ 83 ]. Consumption of such a diet leads to a decrease in the growth of Enterobacteria and an increase in the growth of Bifidobacteria [ 84 , 85 ]. Furthermore, the consumption of omega-3 PUFA leads to an increased production of anti-inflammatory mediators and the inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators, which has a positive effect on microbiome modulation [ 82 ].…”

Dietary Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid Ethyl Esters Influence the Gut Microbiota and Bacterial Metabolites in Rats

“…The n-3PUFA could directly modulate the diversity of the gut microbiota. Previous studies have shown that the intake of fish oil affects the diversity of the intestinal microbiota in trout and infants 34,35 . In this study, the intake of EPA-EE and DHA-EE reduced the alpha diversity of fecal microbiota, which is different from that found in previous reports 34,35 .…”

“…Previous studies have shown that the intake of fish oil affects the diversity of the intestinal microbiota in trout and infants 34,35 . In this study, the intake of EPA-EE and DHA-EE reduced the alpha diversity of fecal microbiota, which is different from that found in previous reports 34,35 . In this experiment, EPA-EE and DHA-EE both more than 99 pure were used as n-3PUFA sources; however, previous studies used fish oil.…”