Infant cholesterol and glycated hemoglobin concentrations vary widely - associations with breastfeeding, infant diet and maternal biomarkers.

AIM: Elevated total cholesterol (TC) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) are risk factors for cardiovascular disease however little is known about their determinants in infants. We aimed to describe TC and HbA1c concentrations in infants aged 8-14 months, and explore the relation between infant TC, HbA1c, breastfeeding, infant diet, and maternal TC and HbA1c.

METHODS: In this cross-sectional pilot study, mothers of infants aged 6 and 12 months were invited to complete a food frequency questionnaire and to take home-based dried blood spot samples from themselves and their infants.

RESULTS: Among the 143 included infants, the mean (SD, range) concentration was 4.1 (0.8, 2.3-6.6) mmol/L for TC and 4.9 (0.4, 3.7-6.0) % for HbA1c. There was no significant difference between age groups or sexes. There was a positive relation between TC concentrations of all infants and mothers (B=0.30 unadjusted, B=0.32 adjusted, P<0.001 for both), and a negative relation between infant TC and intake of unsaturated fatty acids in the oldest age group (B=-0.09, P=0.03 unadjusted, B=-0.08, P=0.06 adjusted). Infant HbA1c was not significantly related to diet or maternal HbA1c.

CONCLUSION: TC and HbA1c concentrations varied widely among infants aged 8-14 months. Infant TC was associated with macronutrient intake and maternal TC. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.