Open AccessAn untargeted metabolomics analysis of exogenous chemicals in human milk and transfer to the infant
Author(s) -
Thomas Sydney,
Gauglitz Julia M.,
Tripathi Anupriya,
Vargas Fernando,
Bertrand Kerri,
Kim Jae H.,
Chambers Christina,
Dorrestein Pieter C.,
Tsunoda Shirley M.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
clinical and translational science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.303
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1752-8062
pISSN - 1752-8054
DOI - 10.1111/cts.13393
Subject(s) - metabolomics , infant formula , chemistry , food science , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , chromatography
Human milk is the optimal infant nutrition. However, although human‐derived metabolites (such as lipids and oligosaccharides) in human milk are regularly reported, the presence of exogenous chemicals (such as drugs, food, and synthetic compounds) are often not addressed. To understand the types of exogenous compounds that might be present, human milk ( n = 996) was analyzed by untargeted metabolomics. This analysis revealed that lifestyle molecules, such as medications and their metabolites, and industrial sources, such as plasticizers, cosmetics, and other personal care products, are found in human milk. We provide further evidence that some of these lifestyle molecules are also detectable in the newborn's stool. Thus, this study gives important insight into the types of exposures infants receiving human milk might ingest due to the lifestyle choices, exposure, or medical status of the lactating parent.