Lipogenic Mothers Alter Offspring Gut Microbiome Development via Breastmilk-Mediated Microbial Transfer

Mammals provide breastmilk as the primary source of nutrition for their offspring, which plays a crucial role in the development of gut microbiota (GM) and the establishment of immunity. Therefore, maternal dietary conditions during lactation significantly influence GM development. This study investigates the impact of a maternal high-fat diet on GM development in their offspring. Tissue and fecal samples were collected from both pups and their mothers (dams) that were fed a high-fat and a controlled diet. Their amplicon sequencing variants were used to perform comprehensive bioinformatic analysis.

Our findings revealed breastmilk’s protective effect, inhibiting the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria, and regulating gut homeostasis during lactation. However, lipogenic dams induce microbial dysbiosis in their pups leading to an increased relative abundance of gut pathogenic bacteria leading to a heightened risk of chronic diseases. In contrast, pups from dams on a controlled diet exhibited an improved relative abundance of beneficial bacteria, including Muribaculaceae , Faecalibaculum , and Bifidobacterium . However, GM transferred from lipogenic dams adversely affected pups’ GM development and stability, leading to several physical consequences.

This research revealed valuable insights into the relationship between breastmilk and gut microbiota, as specific genera were highly expressed at the beginning of lactation. This highlights the importance of timely interventions for the development of offspring gut microbiota to enhance overall gut health.