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Effect of dietary cholesterol on cholesterol synthesis in breast-fed and formula-fed infants
W W Wong1, D L Hachey, W Insull
1USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
Insights
Breast-fed infants showed higher cholesterol intake and plasma LDL-cholesterol levels compared to formula-fed infants. Infant cholesterol synthesis is efficiently regulated by dietary intake, suggesting HMG-CoA reductase plays a key role.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional science
- Biochemistry
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Infant nutrition significantly impacts lipid metabolism and cholesterol homeostasis.
- Understanding cholesterol regulation in early life is crucial for long-term health.
- Dietary cholesterol's role in infant development requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare cholesterol synthesis rates between breast-fed and formula-fed infants.
- To investigate the relationship between dietary cholesterol intake and plasma lipid profiles in infants.
- To assess the regulatory mechanisms of cholesterol synthesis in response to varying dietary cholesterol levels in infants.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the deuterium (2H2O) method to measure fractional synthesis rate (FSR) of cholesterol.
- Analyzed plasma total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol concentrations.
- Compared data between a group of 6 breast-fed and 12 formula-fed infants aged 4-5 months.
Main Results:
- Breast-fed infants exhibited significantly higher cholesterol intake (18.2 mg/kg/day) versus formula-fed infants (3.4 mg/kg/day).
- Plasma total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were elevated in breast-fed infants compared to formula-fed infants.
- A significant inverse correlation (r=0.66, P=0.002) was observed between cholesterol FSR and dietary cholesterol intake across all infants.
Conclusions:
- Higher dietary cholesterol intake in breast-fed infants is associated with increased plasma LDL-cholesterol.
- Cholesterol synthesis in infants appears to be effectively regulated by HMG-CoA reductase in response to high dietary cholesterol.
- Findings suggest robust cholesterol regulatory mechanisms are present in human infants from an early age.
Abstract:
The fractional synthesis rate (FSR) of cholesterol was measured in 6 breast-fed and 12 formula-fed infants (ages 4 to 5 months) using the 2H2O method. The breast-fed infants had higher cholesterol intakes (18.2 +/- 4.0 vs. 3.4 +/- 1.8 mg/kg per day, P = 0.001), plasma total cholesterol (183 +/- 47 vs. 112 +/- 22 mg/dl, P = 0.013), and plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol (83 +/- 26 vs. 48 +/- 16 mg/day, P = 0.023) than the formula-fed infants (6.9 +/- 2.6 vs. 2.1 +/- 0.6%/day, P < 0.001). Among all infants, there was a significant inverse relationship (P = 0.002, r = 0.66) between the FSR of cholesterol and dietary cholesterol intake. Our findings indicate that the greater cholesterol intake of the breast-fed infants was associated with elevated plasma LDL-cholesterol concentrations and that cholesterol synthesis in human infants may be efficiently regulated via HMG-CoA reductase when infants are challenged with high intakes of dietary cholesterol.