Human Milk Oligosaccharide Composition at 6 Weeks Is Associated with Temperament and Eating Behaviors of Children in the STRONG Kids 2 Cohort Through 4 Years of Age

TL;DR

Human milk oligosaccharides at 6 weeks may influence children's temperament and eating behaviors up to age 4.

Contribution

This study links HMO composition to child behavioral outcomes, considering maternal secretor status.

Findings

HMO diversity and fucosylation were positively linked to food responsiveness in children.

Maternal secretor status influenced the associations between HMOs and child temperament.

Neutral HMOs showed negative associations with food responsiveness in some groups.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Early childhood is a critical window of development, which is influenced by early life exposures including breastfeeding. Observational and preclinical studies have linked human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) with neurocognitive development. However, less attention has focused on behavioral outcomes including temperament and eating behaviors. Herein, we investigated the associations between HMO consumption and child temperament and child eating behaviors through four years of age. Methods: Participants were drawn from the STRONG Kids 2 cohort. Human milk was collected at 6 weeks postpartum, and HMO relative abundances were determined by HPLC-MS. Using validated questionnaires, child temperament was assessed at 3, 18, and 48 months of age, and child eating behaviors were measured at 12, 18, 24, 36, and 48 months of age. After adjusting for covariates, multiple linear regressions were carried out to assess the relationship between HMOs and the outcome measures. Results: The HMO profile of mothers showed two distinct clusters explained by maternal secretor status. Significant associations between HMO and surgency were only found in the full cohort and secretors, while more associations between HMO and negative affectivity were observed in non-secretors. A significant number of associations was observed between HMOs and child eating behaviors in full cohort, secretors, and non-secretors. HMO diversity, total fucosylation, and total sialylation were positively associated with food responsiveness, while neutral HMOs presented negative associations. However, these associations with food responsiveness were not observed in non-secretors. Conclusions: HMO profiles were associated with behavioral outcomes in the children, with variations by child age and maternal secretor status, highlighting the potential role of HMOs within the broader context of maternal and postnatal influences.

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