title: Concentration of free amino acids in human milk of women with gestational diabetes mellitus and healthy women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is generally agreed that breastfeeding has a positive effect on the metabolic situation in diabetic mothers. However, negative long-term effects are described for breastfed offspring of diabetic women. It is unknown if the composition of free amino acids (FAAs) in breastmilk of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) differs from that in milk of healthy women. We studied the amount of FAAs in breastmilk of women with GDM and women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Human milk samples of 68 women (21 GDM and 47 NGT) were analyzed. Contents of FAAs in milk samples, obtained within the first 4 days after delivery (colostrum) and 6 weeks later (mature milk), were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. Total amounts of FAAs in colostrum and in mature milk were compared between the groups. The impact of maternal age, body mass index (BMI), gestational age at birth, birth weight, and diagnosis of GDM on the total amount of FAAs was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, the total amount of FAAs increased significantly from colostrum to mature milk in both groups (p<0.001). The total amount of FAAs did not significantly differ between GDM and NGT in colostrum and in mature milk (1,560 μmol/L vs. 1,730 μmol/L and 2,440 μmol/L vs. 2,723 μmol/L, respectively). No significant influence on the total amount of FAAs at both measurements of maternal age, BMI, gestational age at birth, birth weight, and diagnosis of GDM could be observed by regression analyses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The content of FAAs of human milk does not significantly differ between women with GDM and women with NGT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. katharina.klein@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Dagmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bancher-Todesca
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Graf
authors.forename: Fritz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Garo
authors.forename: Erich
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kautzky-Willer
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Worda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003126:Colostrum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids