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Associations of Maternal Weight Status Before, During, and After Pregnancy with Inflammatory Markers in Breast Milk
Author(s) -
Whitaker Kara M.,
Marino Regina C.,
Haapala Jacob L.,
Foster Laurie,
Smith Katy D.,
Teague April M.,
Jacobs David R.,
Fontaine Patricia L.,
McGovern Patricia M.,
Schoenfuss Tonya C.,
Harnack Lisa,
Fields David A.,
Demerath Ellen W.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.22025
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , breastfeeding , weight gain , body mass index , obstetrics , breast milk , confounding , birth weight , breast feeding , lactation , postpartum period , physiology , body weight , pediatrics , biochemistry , chemistry , genetics , biology
Objective The goal of this study was to examine the associations of maternal weight status before, during, and after pregnancy with breast milk C‐reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL‐6), two bioactive markers of inflammation, measured at 1 and 3 months post partum. Methods Participants were 134 exclusively breastfeeding mother‐infant dyads taking part in the Mothers and Infants Linked for Health (MILK) study, who provided breast milk samples. Pre‐pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) were assessed by chart abstraction; postpartum weight loss was measured at the 1‐ and 3‐month study visits. Linear regression was used to examine the associations of maternal weight status with repeated measures of breast milk CRP and IL‐6 at 1 and 3 months, after adjustment for potential confounders. Results Pre‐pregnancy BMI and excessive GWG, but not total GWG or postpartum weight loss, were independently associated with breast milk CRP after adjustment (β = 0.49, P < 0.001 and β = 0.51, P = 0.011, respectively). No associations were observed for IL‐6. Conclusions High pre‐pregnancy BMI and excessive GWG are associated with elevated levels of breast milk CRP. The consequences of infants receiving varying concentrations of breast milk inflammatory markers are unknown; however, it is speculated that there are implications for the intergenerational transmission of disease risk.