Maternal dietary intervention during lactation impacts the maternal faecal and human milk microbiota.

AIMS: To determine the effect of a two-week reduced fat and sugar and increased fibre maternal dietary intervention on the maternal faecal and human milk (HM) microbiomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Faecal swabs and HM samples were collected from mothers (n = 11) immediately pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and 4 and 8 weeks post-intervention, and were analysed using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Maternal macronutrient intake was assessed at baseline and during the intervention. Maternal fat and sugar intake during the intervention were significantly lower than pre-intervention (P = <0.001, 0.005, respectively). Significant changes in the bacterial composition of maternal faeces were detected after the dietary intervention, with decreases in the relative abundance of Bacteroides caccae (P = <0.001) and increases in the relative abundance of Faecalibacillus intestinalis (P = 0.006). In HM, the diet resulted in a significant increase in Cutibacterium acnes (P = 0.001) and a decrease in Haemophilus parainfluenzae (P = <0.001). The effect of the diet continued after the intervention, with faecal swabs and HM samples taken 4 and 8 weeks after the diet showing significant differences compared to baseline. CONCLUSION: This pilot study demonstrates that short-term changes in maternal diet during lactation can alter the bacterial composition of the maternal faeces and HM.

The immune-supportive diet in allergy management: A narrative review and proposal.

The role of nutrition is increasingly recognized in the management of chronic immune diseases. However, the role of an immune-supportive diet as adjuvant therapy in the management of allergic disease has not been similarly explored. This review assesses the existing evidence for a relationship between nutrition, immune function, and allergic disease from a clinical perspective. In addition, the authors propose an immune-supportive diet to enhance dietary interventions and complementing other therapeutic options for allergic disease from early life to adulthood. A narrative review of the literature was conducted, to determine the evidence of the relationship between nutrition and immune function, overall health, epithelial barrier function, and gut microbiome, particularly in relation to allergy. Studies on food supplements were excluded. The evidence was assessed and utilized to develop a sustainable immune-supportive diet to complement other therapies in allergic disease. The proposed diet consists of a highly diverse range of fresh, whole, and minimally processed plant-based and fermented foods supplemented with moderate amounts of nuts, omega-3-rich foods and animal-based products in proportional amounts of the EAT-Lancet diet, such as (fatty) fish, (fermented) milk products which may be full-fat and eggs, lean meat or poultry, which may be free-range or organic.

Iron-Fortified Foods Are Needed To Meet the Estimated Average Requirement for Iron in Australian Infants Aged 6 to 12 Months.

BACKGROUND: Meeting iron intake recommendations is challenging for infants 6-12 mo, especially breastfed infants. Three-quarters of Australian infants 6-12 mo have iron intakes below the estimated average requirement (7 mg), placing them at risk of iron deficiency. After 6 mo, breastmilk is no longer sufficient to meet the increased demand for iron, and iron-rich complementary foods are recommended. Iron-fortified foods may be a means of improving iron intake in infants, particularly those that are breastfed. OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were as follows: 1) to examine the effect of milk-type and fortified foods on iron intake and the prevalence of inadequacy in infants 6-12 mo; 2) to model the effect of fixed amounts of iron-fortified infant cereal (IFIC) at 6 levels of iron fortification on total iron intake and the prevalence of inadequacy; and 3) to assess the effect IFIC on the intake of other nutrients in the diet. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional dietary intake data of infants 6-12 mo (n = 286) participating in the Australian Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (OzFITS) 2021. RESULTS: Median (interquartile range) iron intake was 8.9 (7.5, 10.3); 6.3 (4.5, 8.2); and 2.7 (1.5, 4.4) mg/d in formula-fed, combination-fed, and breastfed infants, respectively. The corresponding prevalence of inadequacy was 19%, 67%, and 96%. Infants who consumed fortified foods had higher median iron intakes than those who did not, 6.2 compared with 1.9 mg/d. Dietary modeling showed that consuming 18 g (300 kJ) of IFIC, fortified at 35 mg/100 g dry weight, reduces the prevalence of inadequacy for iron from 75% to 5% for all infants. CONCLUSIONS: Iron intakes are low in Australian infants, especially for breastfed infants in the second half of infancy. Modeling shows that 300 kJ of IFIC, the current manufacturer-recommended serving, fortified at 35 mg/100 g dry weight, added to infant diets would be an effective means to reduce the prevalence of inadequacy for iron.

The role of online symptom questionnaires to support the diagnosis of cow's milk allergy in children for healthcare professionals - A Delphi consensus study.

BACKGROUND: Cow's milk allergy (CMA) is one of the most common food allergies world-wide. The emergence of online CMA symptom questionnaires, aimed at parents and/or healthcare professionals (HCP), may raise awareness about the possible diagnosis of CMA, but also increases the risk for overdiagnosis leading to unnecessary dietary restriction impacting on growth and nutrition. This publication sets out to establish the availability of these CMA symptom questionnaires and critically assesses the development and validity. METHODS: Thirteen HCP working in the field of CMA, from different countries, were recruited to participate. A combination of a Pubmed and CINAHL literature and online review using the Google search engine in English language was used. Symptoms in the questionnaires were assessed, using the European Academy for Allergy and Clinical Immunology guidelines for food allergy. Following the assessment of both the questionnaires and literature, the authors followed the modified Delphi approach to generate consensus statements. RESULTS: Six hundred and fifty-one publications were identified, of which 29 were suitable for inclusion, with 26 being associated with the Cow's Milk-Related Symptoms Score. The online search yielded 10 available questionnaires: 7/10 were sponsored by formula milk companies and 7/10 were aimed at parents and three at HCP. Following the assessment of data, 19 statements were generated in two rounds of anonymous voting reaching 100% agreement. CONCLUSIONS: Online CMA questionnaires, available to parents and HCP's, are varied in symptoms, and most were not validated. The overarching consensus generated from authors is that these questionnaires should not be used without the involvement of HCP.

Impact of public health interventions for food allergy prevention on rates of infant anaphylaxis.

BACKGROUND: Eleven percent of Australian infants have confirmed food allergy. We hypothesized earlier introduction may lead to higher rates of infant anaphylaxis, irrespective of whether the overall rate of food allergy in the population was ultimately reduced. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a public health campaign, targeting earlier introduction of allergenic foods, affected rates of infant anaphylaxis. METHODS: Data were obtained from St John Ambulance (SJA) Western Australia and Western Australian emergency departments (ED) on infant (≤12 months) anaphylaxis over a 5-year period (July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2020). Adrenaline administration data were collected in the SJA dataset. Poisson regression was undertaken to assess trends in anaphylaxis over time. Segmented regression analysis was undertaken to assess differences in anaphylaxis rates before and after intervention. RESULTS: The SJA and ED datasets included 172 and 294 events, respectively, coded as infant anaphylaxis. Rates of infant anaphylaxis increased over time for both SJA and ED datasets, with a 1-year increase rate ratio of 1.21 (95% confidence interval, 1.09-1.35; P value < .01) and 1.11 (95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.20; P = .01), respectively. Segmented regression indicated no significant difference in rates after intervention. Adrenaline was not coded as being administered in 109 of the 172 anaphylaxis events. CONCLUSION: Rates of infant anaphylaxis increased over the 5-year reporting period; however, there was no clear increase related to the timing of the public health campaign implementation. Reported adrenaline use was suboptimal. Assessing rates of food allergy in all age groups is required to determine whether there has been an overall reduction in food allergy owing to the intervention.

Identifying opportunities for strengthening advice to enhance vegetable liking in the early years of life: qualitative consensus and triangulation methods.

OBJECTIVE: To prioritise and refine a set of evidence-informed statements into advice messages to promote vegetable liking in early childhood, and to determine applicability for dissemination of advice to relevant audiences. DESIGN: A nominal group technique (NGT) workshop and a Delphi survey were conducted to prioritise and achieve consensus (≥70 % agreement) on thirty evidence-informed maternal (perinatal and lactation stage), infant (complementary feeding stage) and early years (family diet stage) vegetable-related advice messages. Messages were validated via triangulation analysis against the strength of evidence from an Umbrella review of strategies to increase children's vegetable liking, and gaps in advice from a Desktop review of vegetable feeding advice. SETTING: Australia. PARTICIPANTS: A purposeful sample of key stakeholders (NGT workshop, n 8 experts; Delphi survey, n 23 end users). RESULTS: Participant consensus identified the most highly ranked priority messages associated with the strategies of: 'in-utero exposure' (perinatal and lactation, n 56 points) and 'vegetable variety' (complementary feeding, n 97 points; family diet, n 139 points). Triangulation revealed two strategies ('repeated exposure' and 'variety') and their associated advice messages suitable for policy and practice, twelve for research and four for food industry. CONCLUSIONS: Supported by national and state feeding guideline documents and resources, the advice messages relating to 'repeated exposure' and 'variety' to increase vegetable liking can be communicated to families and caregivers by healthcare practitioners. The food industry provides a vehicle for advice promotion and product development. Further research, where stronger evidence is needed, could further inform strategies for policy and practice, and food industry application.

Acute changes to breast milk composition following consumption of high-fat and high-sugar meals.

Breast milk composition is influenced by habitual diet, yet little is known about the short-term effects of changes in maternal diet on breast milk macronutrient concentrations. Our aim was to determine the acute effect of increased consumption of sugar/fat on breast milk protein, lactose and lipids. Exclusively breastfeeding women (n = 9) were provided with a control, higher fat (+28 g fat) and higher sugar (+66 g sugar) diet over three separate days at least 1 week apart. Hourly breast milk samples were collected concurrently for the analysis of triglycerides, cholesterol, protein, and lactose concentrations. Breast milk triglycerides increased significantly following both the higher fat and sugar diet with a greater response to the higher sugar compared to control diet (mean differences of 3.05 g/dL ± 0.39 and 13.8 g/dL ± 0.39 in higher fat and sugar diets, respectively [P < 0.001]). Breast milk cholesterol concentrations increased most in response to the higher sugar diet (0.07 g/dL ± 0.005) compared to the control (0.04 g/dL) and the higher fat diet (0.05 g/dL) P < 0.005. Breast milk triglyceride and lactose concentrations increased (P < 0.001, P = 0.006), whereas protein decreased (p = 0.05) in response to the higher fat diet compared to the control. Independent of diet, there were significant variations in breast milk composition over the day; triglycerides and cholesterol concentrations were higher at end of day (P < 0.001), whereas protein and lactose concentrations peaked at Hour 10 (of 12) (P < 0.001). In conclusion, controlled short-term feeding to increase daily sugar/fat consumption altered breast milk triglycerides, cholesterol, protein and lactose. The variations observed in breast milk protein and lactose across the 12 h period is suggestive of a circadian rhythm.

A Systematic Review of Collection and Analysis of Human Milk for Macronutrient Composition.

BACKGROUND: As human milk (HM) composition varies by time and across even a single feed, methods of sample collection can significantly affect the results of compositional analyses and complicate comparisons between studies. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to compare the results obtained for HM macronutrient composition between studies utilizing different sampling methodologies. The results will be used as a basis to identify the most reliable HM sampling approach. METHODS: EMBASE, MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest databases were searched for relevant articles. Observational and interventional studies were included, and at least 2 authors screened studies and undertook data extraction. Quality assessment was conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and previously published pragmatic score. RESULTS: A total of 5301 publications were identified from our search, of which 101 studies were included (n = 5049 breastfeeding women). Methods used for HM collection were divided into 3 categories: collection of milk from all feeds over 24 h (32 studies, n = 1309 participants), collection at one time point (62 studies, n = 3432 participants), and "other methods" (7 studies, n = 308 participants). Fat and protein concentrations varied between collection methods within lactation stage, but there were no obvious differences in lactose concentrations. There was substantial variability between studies in other factors potentially impacting HM composition, including stage of lactation, gestational age, and analytical method, which complicated direct comparison of methods. CONCLUSIONS: This review describes the first systematic evaluation of sampling methodologies used in studies reporting HM composition and highlights the wide range of collection methods applied in the field. This information provides an important basis for developing recommendations for best practices for HM collection for compositional analysis, which will ultimately allow combination of information from different studies and thus strengthen the body of evidence relating to contemporary HM composition. This trial was registered at PROSPERO as CRD42017072563, https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42017072563.

Dietary factors during pregnancy and atopic outcomes in childhood: A systematic review from the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

RATIONALE: Allergic diseases are an increasing public health concern, and early life environment is critical to immune development. Maternal diet during pregnancy has been linked to offspring allergy risk. In turn, maternal diet is a potentially modifiable factor, which could be targeted as an allergy prevention strategy. In this systematic review, we focused on non-allergen-specific modifying factors of the maternal diet in pregnancy on allergy outcomes in their offspring. METHODS: We undertook a systematic review of studies investigating the association between maternal diet during pregnancy and allergic outcomes (asthma/wheeze, hay fever/allergic rhinitis/seasonal allergies, eczema/atopic dermatitis (AD), food allergies, and allergic sensitization) in offspring. Studies evaluating the effect of food allergen intake were excluded. We searched three bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science) through February 26, 2019. Evidence was critically appraised using modified versions of the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool for intervention trials and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence methodological checklist for cohort and case-control studies and meta-analysis performed from RCTs. RESULTS: We identified 95 papers: 17 RCTs and 78 observational (case-control, cross-sectional, and cohort) studies. Observational studies varied in design and dietary intakes and often had contradictory findings. Based on our meta-analysis, RCTs showed that vitamin D supplementation (OR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.56-0.92) is associated with a reduced risk of wheeze/asthma. A positive trend for omega-3 fatty acids was observed for asthma/wheeze, but this did not reach statistical significance (OR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.45-1.08). Omega-3 supplementation was also associated with a non-significant decreased risk of allergic rhinitis (OR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.56-1.04). Neither vitamin D nor omega-3 fatty acids were associated with an altered risk of AD or food allergy. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal supplementation with vitamin D may have beneficial effects for prevention of asthma. Additional nutritional factors seem to be required for modulating the risk of skin and gastrointestinal outcomes. We found no consistent evidence regarding other dietary factors, perhaps due to differences in study design and host features that were not considered. While confirmatory studies are required, there is also a need for performing RCTs beyond single nutrients/foods.

Are the nutrient and textural properties of Australian commercial infant and toddler foods consistent with infant feeding advice?

Infant feeding guidelines worldwide recommend first foods to be Fe rich with no added sugars and that nutrient-poor discretionary foods are to be avoided. Feeding guidelines also recommend exposing infants to a variety of foods and flavours with increasingly complex textures. Here, we compare nutritional and textural properties of commercial infant and toddler foods available in Australia with established infant feeding guidelines. Nutrition information and ingredient lists were obtained from food labels, manufacturer and/or retailer websites. In total, 414 foods were identified, comprising mostly mixed main dishes, fruit and vegetable first foods and snacks. Most products were poor sources of Fe, and 80 % of first foods were fruit-based. Half of all products were purées in squeeze pouches, and one-third of all products were discretionary foods. The nutritional content of many products was inconsistent with guidelines, being low in Fe, sweet, smooth in consistency or classified as discretionary. Reformulation of products is warranted to improve Fe content, particularly in mixed main dishes, expand the range of vegetable-only foods and textural variety. Greater regulatory oversight may be needed to better inform parents and caregivers. Frequent consumption of commercial baby foods low in Fe may increase the risk of Fe deficiency. Excessive consumption of purées via squeeze pouches may also have implications for overweight and obesity risk.

Low allergen content of commercial baby foods.

AIM: Introduction of allergenic solid foods, especially peanut and hen's egg reduces the risk of food allergy development in early childhood. Ideally, parents will offer their infants home-prepared foods; however, many rely on the availability of convenient ready to purchase infant foods. This audit aimed to assess the major food allergen content of commercial infant foods. METHODS: Infant foods available for sale in 2019 in Australia were the focus of this audit. The major food allergens investigated were peanut, tree nuts, hen's egg, cows milk, wheat, fish, shellfish, soy, sesame and lupin. Websites of infant food manufacturers and major supermarkets were used to identify ingredient lists of infant foods available for purchase. Where ingredients listings were unavailable this information was sourced directly from the product labels in the supermarket. RESULTS: Fourteen companies were identified, manufacturing over 251 foods specifically for the infants aged less than 1 year of age. Although there were many choices available containing wheat (27 products) and cows milk proteins (73 products), none contained peanut, tree nuts, sesame, shellfish or lupin. CONCLUSIONS: Despite infant feeding advice encouraging early introduction to food allergens, of 251 commercial baby foods surveyed only 1% contained egg and none contained peanut, the most common food allergies in young Australian infants. This low food allergen content may be disadvantageous for infants fed mostly commercial infant foods as they are unlikely to be exposed to sufficient amounts of the major food allergens on a regular basis during infancy.

The short-term impact of dietary fat and sugar intake on breast milk composition: A clinical trial protocol.

BACKGROUND: Breast milk is uniquely designed for the infant and contains the key nutrients and bioactive factors required to support optimal infant health and development. While previous studies have reported that maternal obesity can influence milk composition, whether this relationship is driven by maternal or dietary factors remains unclear. AIM: The aim of this study is to assess the impact of test meals varying in fat and sugar content on post-prandial concentrations of macronutrients and metabolic hormones in the breast milk. METHODS: This open label crossover study will include 25 lactating women. On the three days of the intervention, women will be randomized to receive a breakfast meal with a fat and sugar content consistent with the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (9 g fat, 25 g of sugar) or a breakfast meal containing higher levels of fat (28 g fat, 18 g of sugar) or sugar (5 g fat, 56 g of sugar). All breakfast meals will be similar in composition (cereal, milk, yogurt, toast and spread) and matched for total energy content. This study will measure breast milk concentrations of metabolic hormones (leptin, insulin, adiponectin, ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide-1) and macronutrients in the following 12 hours. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The results of this study will provide novel direct evidence of the impact of variations in dietary fat and sugar content to alter the macronutrient and/or metabolic hormone concentrations in breast milk. Data on the effect of maternal diet on milk composition is critical given the established importance of nutritional exposures in early infancy for an individual's life-long health outcomes.

Anaphylaxis management in Australian schools: Review of guidelines and adrenaline autoinjector use.

Food allergy and anaphylaxis is increasing in Australian children, and anaphylaxis is relatively common in Australian schools. This review aims to provide an overview of current policies and practices for anaphylaxis management in Australian schools, including approaches to risk mitigation and anaphylaxis training. We reviewed literature related to anaphylaxis training in the school setting published between 2010 and 2018. Current anaphylaxis policies/guidelines were obtained from Australian education and health departments, and reports of suspected anaphylaxis and adrenaline autoinjector (AAI) use for 2016-2017 were obtained from education departments where available. Our review of policies/guidelines across Australian jurisdictions indicates inconsistent approaches to anaphylaxis management training. Almost half of Australian school anaphylaxis events required a general-use AAI, administered to students not identified as at risk of anaphylaxis. Development of clear, evidence-based, consistent guidelines related to anaphylaxis management and training in the school setting is imperative to minimise risk.

Advice about infant feeding for allergy prevention: A confusing picture for Australian consumers?

AIM: Early feeding plays an important role in programming the immune system, particularly the risk of food allergy. There are many infant feeding guides published for consumers available in Australia, with most based on the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) 2012 Infant Feeding Guidelines for Health Workers and the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) Infant Feeding Advice for allergy prevention. We sought to compare allergy-specific content of infant feeding educational material written for parents with these two documents. METHODS: Australian websites of children's hospitals, early child health organisations and consumer groups providing information about diet during pregnancy, breastfeeding and early infancy were compared with NHMRC and ASCIA guidelines. RESULTS: Twenty-five sets of infant feeding information were identified. Food allergy was discussed in 18 resources. Recommended length of exclusive breastfeeding and timing of commencing solid foods was consistently around 6 months, with some variation in wording. Advice regarding to include and not delay introduction of common allergens into babies' diets was generally consistent with NHMRC and ASCIA recommendations, however the audit identified some resources that still recommended delayed introduction of common allergens. CONCLUSION: As consumers have access to a plethora of health information it is imperative that information about infant feeding from health-care authorities is simple, evidence-based and consistent to avoid confusion. Use of consensus wording related to infant feeding guidelines to prevent allergies will provide clear messages related to the timing of introduction to solid foods and inclusion of allergens in the early diet.

Allergenicity of pasteurized whole raw Hen's egg compared with fresh whole raw Hen's egg.

BACKGROUND: Oral food challenges for diagnosis and management of egg allergy using fresh egg are common; however, to limit the risk of foodborne infection, many allergy units use pasteurized raw egg. Pasteurization and drying processes have the potential to affect the structure of egg proteins in egg powder and thus the allergenicity when compared to fresh egg. Our aim was to compare the binding of serum IgE from egg-allergic children to in vitro digested and undigested pasteurized whole raw egg powder with unpasteurized fresh whole raw egg. METHODS: Egg proteins from in vitro digested or undigested pasteurized whole raw egg powder, fresh whole egg, egg white and egg yolk were separated by SDS-PAGE, transferred onto nitrocellulose membrane and incubated overnight with pooled sera from egg-allergic children. RESULTS: In both the raw egg samples and the pasteurized whole egg powder, protein bands corresponding to known molecular weights of the major egg allergens were present. Pasteurized whole raw egg powder was bound by serum IgE in a similar manner to unpasteurized whole raw egg and was unaffected by in vitro digestion. Serum IgE also bound egg yolk, indicating sensitization to both egg yolk and egg white proteins. CONCLUSIONS: The main egg allergens are present in pasteurized whole raw egg powder, and serum IgE of egg-allergic children binds to them in a similar pattern to those in fresh whole raw egg. Pasteurized whole raw egg powder is a suitable substitute for raw egg in clinical practice for oral food challenges.

Human milk lactoferrin and lysozyme concentrations vary in response to a dietary intervention.

It is known that human milk (HM)1 antimicrobial protein composition varies during lactation. However, the impact of maternal diet on these antimicrobial proteins, particularly lactoferrin and lysozyme remains unknown. In addition, it is unclear whether daily, circadian, and between breast variations exist for lactoferrin and lysozyme concentrations. We investigated the impact of a low sugar, low fat, high fibre dietary intervention on HM lysozyme and lactoferrin concentrations. HM was sampled across a 3-week period; daily, at different times of day, and from both breasts to measure the level of intraindividual variation. The intervention significantly reduced maternal sugar, total fat, and saturated fat intake. HM lactoferrin concentration declined significantly over the course of the intervention however the effect size was relatively small. In addition, lactoferrin and lysozyme concentrations were variable over time, and differed significantly within and across the day but not between breasts.