Dr. David Sánchez Infantes, Assistant Professor of the Department of Basic Health Sciences of the Rey Juan Carlos University, and researcher attached to the Institut Germans Trias i Pujol, participates as co-first signer of the article entitled "Increasing breast milk betaine modulates Akkermansia abundance in mammalian neonates and improves long-term metabolic health”, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. This journal has an impact factor (according to JCR) of 16,304, being the second and ninth journal in the "Medicine, Research and Experimental" and "Cell Biology" categories, respectively.
The research team, led by Dr. Carles Lerín (Department of Endocrinology, Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, Barcelona), has analyzed breast milk samples from two different population groups, one in the United States and the other in the Community Valencian. The results of the study show that there is a component of breast milk, called betaine, which is related to infant growth during the first year of life. Specifically, the researchers determined that a lower concentration of this component in milk is associated with faster growth in babies during the first months of life, which represents a risk factor for the development of obesity. Betaine is a nutrient present in several foods in our diet such as quinoa, whole grains, spinach or beets. In addition, it is naturally present in breast milk.
To determine whether betaine supplementation of breast milk can improve children's metabolic health, the research team conducted a series of experiments in animal models. These works concluded that the supplementation of the maternal diet with betaine during lactation increased the content of this nutrient in the milk and moderated the growth of the offspring. In addition, it was observed that this supplementation had long-term effects, since the offspring showed a reduction in their adiposity and markers of inflammation, as well as an improvement in glucose tolerance in adulthood. Changes in the intestinal microbiota of the pups were also detected, specifically an increase in the Akkermansia bacteria. This bacterium, which is present in our intestines, has, according to various studies, positive effects on obesity and metabolic disorders.
More information about the research work here.
Reference:
Ribo S, Sánchez-Infantes D, Martinez-Guino L, García-Mantrana I, Ramon-Krauel M, Tondo M, Arning E, Nofrarías M, Osorio-Conles Ó, Fernández-Pérez A, González-Torres P, Cebrià J, Gavaldà-Navarro A, Chenoll E, Isganaitis E, Villarroya F, Vallejo M, Segalés J, Jiménez-Cillarón JC, Bottiglieri T, Demerath EW, Fields DA, Collado MC, Lerin C. Increasing breast milk betaine modulates Akkermansia abundance in mammalian neonates and improves long-term metabolic health. Sci Transl Med. 2021 Mar 31;13(587): eabb0322. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.abb0322. PMID: 33790021.
Read the full article here.