Longitudinal changes in body weight of breastfeeding mothers in the first year after delivery and its relationship with human milk composition:a combined longitudinal and cross-sectional cohort study

Objective:Postpartum weight retention(PPWR)is a common problem among women after childbirth.The main objectives of this study are to understand the changes in body weight of breastfeeding mothers during long-term follow-up and preliminarily explore the relationship between maternal body weight and human milk composition,including macronutrients,leptin,and adiponectin.Methods:The study included a longitudinal cohort(122 mothers),and a cross-sectional cohort(37 mothers).The human milk,maternal weight,and dietary surveys were collected in the longitudinal cohort at different follow-up time points(1-14 days postpartum,2-4 months postpartum,5-7 months postpartum,and 12-17 months postpartum).The maternal body weight was analyzed using the responses in the survey questionnaires.A milk analyzer based on the mid-infrared spectroscopy(MIRS)was used to determine milk composition,and nutrition analysis software evaluated dietary intakes.In the cross-sectional cohort,participating mothers were asked to provide blood and human milk samples and pertinent information related to maternal body composition.Maternal body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis(BIA),while ELISA analyzed leptin and adiponectin in milk and serum.Results:At 5-7 months postpartum,the PPWR of breastfeeding mothers was(2.46±3.59)kg.At 12-17 months postpartum,the PPWR was(0.98±4.06)kg.PPWR was found to be negatively correlated with milk fat content within 14 days postpartum and positively correlated at 2-4 months postpartum.In addition,the maternal weight and body muscle mass were positively correlated with leptin and adiponectin in milk.Plasma leptin was positively correlated with the mother’s body weight,body mass index(BMI),FAT percentage,and body fat mass,while plasma adiponectin did not correlate with any parameter.The results also indicate that the PPWR did not correlate with leptin and adiponectin in plasma or milk.Conclusions:Breastfeeding mothers may retain considerable weight gain one year after delivery.Human milk composition may be related to changes in maternal body weight.Leptin and adiponectin in breast milk and leptin in plasma are associated with the maternal body composition.This study supports the notion that maternal nutritional status may affect offspring health through lactation,and future research should focus on exploring weight management of postpartum mothers.

The effect of ensiled paulownia leaves in a high-forage diet on ruminal fermentation,methane production,fatty acid composition,and milk production performance of dairy cows

Background:The use of industrial by-products rich in bioactive compounds as animal feeds can reduce greenhouse gas production.Paulownia leaves silage(PLS)was supplemented to dairy cows'diet and evaluated in vitro(Exp.1;Rusitec)and in vivo(Exp.2,cannulated lactating dairy cows and Exp.3,non-cannulated lactating dairy cows).The study investigated the PLS effect on ruminal fermentation,microbial populations,methane production and concentration,dry matter intake(DMI),and fatty acid(FA)proportions in ruminal fluid and milk.Results:Several variables of the ruminal fluid were changed in response to the inclusion of PLS.In Exp.1,the p H increased linearly and quadratically,whereas ammonia and total volatile fatty acid(VFA)concentrations increased linearly and cubically.A linear,quadratic,and cubical decrease in methane concentration was observed with increasing dose of the PLS.Exp.2 revealed an increase in ruminal p H and ammonia concentrations,but no changes in total VFA concentration.Inclusion of PLS increased ruminal propionate(at 3 h and 6 h after feeding),isovalerate,and valerate concentrations.Addition of PLS also affected several populations of the analyzed microorganisms.The abundances of protozoa and bacteria were increased,whereas the abundance of archaea were decreased by PLS.Methane production decreased by 11%and 14%in PLS-fed cows compared to the control in Exp.2 and 3,respectively.Exp.3 revealed a reduction in the milk protein and lactose yield in the PLS-fed cows,but no effect on DMI and energy corrected milk yield.Also,the PLS diet affected the ruminal biohydrogenation process with an increased proportions of C18:3 cis-9 cis-12 cis-15,conjugated linoleic acid,C18:1 trans-11 FA,polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFA),and reduced n6/n3 ratio and saturated fatty acids(SFA)proportion in milk.The relative transcript abundances of the 5 of 6 analyzed genes regulating FA metabolism increased.Conclusions:The dietary PLS replacing the alfalfa silage at 60 g/kg diet can reduce the methane emission and improve milk quality with greater proportions of PUFA,including conjugated linoleic acid,and C18:1 trans-11 along with reduction of SFA.

Effect of Different Roughages on Milk Protein and Milk Fat Synthesis in Dairy Cows

The main purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a corn straw or mixed diet on milk production, milk composition and the expression of genes associated with lactation in mid-lactation Chinese Holstein cows. In this study, 10 healthy Chinese Holstein cows were randomly assigned to two groups and fed with different diets respectively, corn straw(CS) or mixed forage(MF) diet. CS group was fed roughage consisting of 53.8% corn straw only and the forge to concentrate(F : C) ratio [dry matter(DM)] was about 40: 60. MF group was fed roughage consisting of 3.7% Chinese wildrye and 23.4% alfalfa hay, the forge to concentrate(F : C) ratio(DM) was 70: 30. All the cows were fed 8 weeks and body weight, dry matter intake, body condition score, fat, protein, lactose, milk yield, total solid and somatic cell count(SCC) were recorded. Quantitative real-time PCR(q RT-PCR) was used to analyze cow mammary gland samples representing two different diets. The results suggested that different diet types had significant effects on milk yield, lactose, milk fat, milk protein, dry matter intake and somatic cell count in dairy cows, and cows fed MF diet improved milk production and lactation performance clearly(P<0.05). In addition, m RNA expression of genes ACC, m TOR, STAT5, CSN2, PPARγ, FABP3 and PTEN in MF group was extremely significantly higher than that in CS group(P<0.05). m RNA expression of AKT1, FAS, SCD and SREBP1 c in MF group was significantly higher than that in CS group(P<0.01). In summary, the milk yield and composition in mixed forage group were significantly improved than those in corn straw group.

Effects of Inclusion Levels of Sweet Potato Vine Silage on Feed Intake, Milk Production and Profitability of Lactating Crossbred Dairy Cows

Feed scarcity is a major challenge in smallholder production systems especially during the dry season. Sweet potato vines (SPV) contribute over 40% of the crop residues fed to dairy cattle but they are highly perishable resulting into losses of about 24% per season. Ensiling SPV mitigates seasonal feed shortages and assists in coping with seasonal feed price fluctuations. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of sweet potato vines silage (SPVS) supplementation on the performance of lactating Ankole × Friesian crossbred dairy cattle. Four primiparous cows in early lactation were randomly allotted a basal diet of Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) hay supplemented with dairy pellets and four graded levels of SPVS (0, 100, 200 and 300 g/kg of the daily ration) in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. The animals were given a one-week adaptation period followed by a two weeks data collection period for each diet. Dry matter intake (DMI), live weight changes, milk yield and composition were determined. Dry matter intake improved with addition of SPVS (P ≤ 0.05), with intake being highest (11.9 kg) in cows that were fed the highest SPVS level and lowest in cows that were not given SPVS (6.8 kg). Although animals on diets with 0, 100, 200 g of SPVS/kg of daily ration lost weight, there were no significant differences (P ≥ 0.05) in body weight changes across all treatments. Milk yield increased with SPVS supplementation by 1.5 - 1.7 kg per cow per day but there were no significant differences between the different SPVS supplementation levels. Milk fat and solids-non-fat differed (P ≤ 0.05) across the four diets but there was no consistent trend observed. Considering profit margins, supplementing dairy cows with SPVS at a level of 100 g/kg of daily ration was the most profitable at Uganda shillings 1290 (0.344 USD) per cow per day. In conclusion, SPVS supplementation improved DMI and milk yield but supplementation beyond 100 g/kg of the daily feed intake was not cost-effective.

Inclusion of Yeast Cultures (<i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>) to Dairy Cows’ Urea-Treated Rice Straw Diets Improves Mozzarella Cheese Processing and Yield

This research paper addresses the hypothesis that adding yeast cultures (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to urea-treated cereal crop residues could improve milk composition to the level of milk produced on pastures for the manufacture of Mozzarella cheese. In three equal groups, Nine Friesian cows were randomly assigned to three treatment diets in a completely randomized design. The treatments were pasture (P), urea treated rice straw (UTRS), and urea treated rice straw with yeast inclusion (UTRS + Y). Urea inclusion was at 3.8% of the dry matter to treat rice straw, while yeast culture inclusion was 10 g/cow/day. The experimental period was 21 days, with 14 days of adaptation. Data analysis used general linear model procedure of SAS, fitting diet as a fixed effect and milk composition, syneresis, curd firmness and cheese yield as the response variables. Milk produced on UTRS diet yielded (p < 0.05) the highest fat content (4.79%) and the lowest density (1016.37 Kg·m-3) and casein-to-fat ratio (0.51). Yeast inclusion in the diet (UTRS + Y) significantly improved milk density (1022.68 Kg·m-3) with marginal reduction in milk fat content (4.53%). In cheese making, milk produced on URTS diets had significantly lower renneting time (1.4 minutes vs 3.47 minutes and 2.39 minutes), least viscous gel, lowest syneresis (755 mL vs 860 mL and 836 mL from 1000 mL), and lowest cheese yield (9.0% vs 11% and 10.5%) compared to P and UTRS + Y diets. Milk produced from P and UTRS + Y did not show any significant difference in cheese yield. The findings indicated that urea treated rice straw with yeast cultures improves syneresis, gel viscosity and Mozzarella cheese yield. Therefore, we recommend the inclusion of yeast to urea treated cereal crop residues to produce milk destined for Mozzarella cheese making.

Physiological Studies on the Effect of Fenugreek on Productive Performance of White New-Zealand Rabbit Does

The objective of the current work is to investigate the possible beneficial effects of forced feeding of fenugreek to rabbit does on their milk composition, milk yield, anemia screening parameters, immunity and the growth performance of bunnies. Twenty white New Zealand female rabbits were randomly assigned into 5 groups: normal control and 4 treated groups (vehicle (molasses), fenugreek powdered seeds + molasses, sprouted fenugreek + molasses, and fenugreek oil + molasses). All treated groups took the given doses orally for two days before parturition and 13 days after parturition for 2 successive pregnancies. Blood samples were collected from each doe on the 13th day of lactation for determination of hematological, biochemical and immunological parameters. Milk samples were taken for evaluation of milk composition. All rabbit does and their bunnies were weighed for calculation of the milk yield. The fenugreek seeds and oil administered groups (G3 & G5) recorded the highest percent values of fat, protein, lactose, total solids and solid not fat contents of the rabbits’ milk in both 1st and 2nd lactation periods relative to other tested groups. At the beginning and mid of lactation periods, the milk yields recorded non-significant differences either between tested groups or between 1st and 2nd pregnancy in the same group. Whereas, at the end of lactation, germinated seeds (G4) and oil (G5) treated groups recorded significantly higher rates of milk yield relative to control and fenugreek seeds groups. Bunnies’ body weights suckling from dams of group III (G3) recorded the highest weights relative to other tested groups in both 1st and 2nd pregnancy. During the 1st lactation period, all experimental groups showed significant reduction of white blood cells, while, G3 and G4 recorded significant elevation during 2nd lactation period. Rabbits treated with fenugreek seeds powder (G3) showed a significant raise of phagocytic activity and phagocytic index. Fenugreek seeds group (G3) and germinated one (G4) showed significant red blood corpuscles and packed cell volume raise relative to other groups during both 1st and 2nd lactation periods.

Use of 25-hydroxyvitamin D_(3) in diets for sows:A review

Dietary supplementation with 25-hydroxyvitamin D_(3)(25OHD_(3)),as an alternative source of vitamin D,is becoming increasingly popular due to its commercialization and more efficient absorbability.The addition of 25OHD_(3)rather than its precursor vitamin D_(3)can circumvent the 25-hydroxylation reaction in the liver,indicating that supplementation of 25OHD_(3)can rapidly improve the circulating vitamin D status of animals.Emerging experiments have reported that maternal 25OHD_(3)supplementation could increase sow performances and birth outcomes and promote circulating vitamin D status of sows and their offspring.Increased milk fat content was observed in many experiments;however,others demonstrated that adding 25OHD_(3)to lactating sow diets increased the contents of milk protein and lactose.Although an inconsistency between the results of different experiments exists,these studies suggested that maternal 25OHD_(3)supplementation could alter milk composition via its effects on the mammary gland.Previous studies have demonstrated that adding 25OHD_(3)to sow diets could improve the mRNA expressions of insulin-induced gene 1(INSIG1)and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1(SREBP1)in the mammary gland cells from milk and increase the mRNA expressions of acetyl-CoA carboxylaseα(ACCα)and fatty acid synthase(FAS)in the mammary gland tissue.Maternal 25OHD_(3)supplementation promotes skeletal muscle development of piglets before and after parturition,and improves bone properties including bone density and bone breaking force in lactating sows and their piglets.Interestingly,25OHD_(3)supplementation in sow diets could improve neonatal bone development via regulation of milk fatty acid composition related to bone metabolism and mineralization.In this review,we also discuss the effects of adding 25OHD_(3)to sow diets on the gut bacterial metabolites of suckling piglets,and propose that butyrate production may be associated with bone health.Therefore,to better understand the nutritional functions of maternal 25OHD_(3)supplementation,this paper reviews advances in the studies of 25OHD_(3)for sow nutrition and provides references for practical application.