Assessment of maternal diet inflammatory status and inflammatory markers in human breast milk

Courtney B Slegers; Mark A Holmes; Caren Biddulph; Judith Maher; Nicolas Roydon Smoll; Melinda M Dean

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0352248

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Assessment of maternal diet inflammatory status and inflammatory markers in human breast milk

Journal article

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Assessment of maternal diet inflammatory status and inflammatory markers in human breast milk

Courtney B Slegers, Mark A Holmes, Caren Biddulph, Judith Maher, Nicolas Roydon Smoll and Melinda M Dean

PLoS One, Vol.21(7), pp.1-14

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0352248

PMID: 42391231

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Abstract

Human breast milk is a complex bioactive fluid containing multi-functional components that support many infant physiological functions. Maternal diet has been demonstrated to influence human milk components; however, how maternal diet impacts inflammatory markers in human milk remains unclear. This study investigated the association between maternal dietary inflammatory status, assessed using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), and the profile of inflammatory markers in breast milk from healthy lactating women, quantified using cytometric bead array. Dietary intake of lactating mothers (n = 101) was assessed using a 24-hr food recall and categorised using the DII as either pro-inflammatory (score > 0) or anti-inflammatory (score < 0). Thirteen inflammatory markers were quantified in breast milk by flow cytometric bead array (13-plex panel: IL-4, IL-2, IP-10, IL-1β, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-17A, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ, IL-12p70, IL-8, free active TGF-β1). All participant diets were categorised as anti-inflammatory diets (DII score range -4.83 to -1.22). Participants' food intake aligned with dietary guidelines (AUSNUT 2023) for lactating women, with most analysed food parameters classified as anti-inflammatory (19/27). Inflammatory marker analysis revealed a chemokine-dominant profile in breast milk with IP-10, MCP-1 and IL-8 present at the highest concentrations and detected in > 96% of participant human milk samples MCP-1 concentration was weakly associated with DII score (p = 0.025, r2 -0.23, Spearman correlation). This study is the first to investigate the inflammatory index of maternal diets in lactating mothers and characterise inflammatory markers in human milk. Further research is required to fully elucidate the relationship between dietary inflammatory status and inflammatory markers in breast milk and their potential impact on infant health, especially of a more diverse cohort.

Details

Title: Assessment of maternal diet inflammatory status and inflammatory markers in human breast milk
Authors: Courtney B Slegers (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Mark A Holmes - University of the Sunshine Coast
Caren Biddulph - University of the Sunshine Coast
Judith Maher - University of the Sunshine Coast
Nicolas Roydon Smoll - University of the Sunshine Coast
Melinda M Dean - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: PLoS One, Vol.21(7), pp.1-14
Publisher: Public Library of Science
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0352248
ISSN: 1932-6203
PMID: 42391231
Copyright note: © 2026 Slegers et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Data Availability: All relevant data are provided as de-identified Supporting Information files.
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Biomedicine; School of Health - Nutrition & Dietetics; Centre for Bioinnovation
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991242598202621
Output Type: Journal article

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