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Breastfeeding is associated with enhanced intestinal gluconeogenesis in infants

Duan Ni1,2,3, Jian Tan1,4, Laurence Macia1,4,5

  • 1Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

BMC Medicine
|March 8, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Breastfeeding enhances intestinal gluconeogenesis in infants, a key mechanism for metabolic health. This finding in human infants is consistent with observations in other mammals, highlighting its biological importance.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Metabolic Health
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Breastfeeding (BF) offers significant metabolic advantages to infants, potentially reducing risks of metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes later in life.
  • The precise biological mechanisms underlying these benefits remain incompletely understood.
  • Investigating the impact of breastfeeding on infant metabolic organs is crucial for elucidating these mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of breastfeeding on the metabolic organs of infants.
  • To explore the molecular pathways through which breastfeeding influences infant metabolism.
  • To identify potential mechanisms linking breastfeeding to long-term metabolic health.

Main Methods:

  • A comprehensive review of existing literature on breastfeeding's influence on offspring metabolic organs in both animal models and human studies.
  • Analysis of a microarray dataset examining intestinal gene expression in infants fed breast milk versus formula milk.

Main Results:

  • Reanalysis of microarray data revealed that breastfeeding is associated with enhanced intestinal gluconeogenesis in infants.
  • This finding in human infants mirrors observations in other mammalian species, where breastfeeding has also been linked to increased gluconeogenesis.

Conclusions:

  • Breastfeeding promotes enhanced intestinal gluconeogenesis in infants, likely contributing to its metabolic benefits.
  • This mechanism may play a role in fine-tuning metabolic homeostasis, supporting infant health.
  • The conservation of this effect across species suggests significant biological importance.
Abstract

Keywords:
BreastfeedingFormula feedingInfantsIntestinal gluconeogenesisMetabolic health

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