Impact of diet and body composition on donor human milk: a cross-sectional pilot study

Introduction and Objectives: Donor human milk is recommended in Neonatal Intensive Care Units when maternal breast milk is unavailable. This study aimed to explore the association between the eating habits, body mass index, and body composition of human milk donors with the nutritional composition of their donor milk. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study involved 65 human milk donors. Sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical data were collected by questionnaires administered through interviews. Height, weight, and fat mass were measured and body mass index was calculated. Eating habits were assessed using a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Donor human milk samples were analyzed before and after pasteurization using the Miris Human Milk Analyzer™. Results: Thirty-three (50.8%) human milk donors were overweight, with a median fat mass of 33.2%. No significant associations were found between body mass index or fat mass and the nutritional composition of donated milk. However, infants’ gestational age showed a positive correlation with the protein content after the donated milk had been pasteurized. The energy of donor human milk before pasteurization was positively associated with carbohydrate intake (r = 0.272, p = 0.029). The consumption of carbohydrate sources was positively correlated with the energy of donor human milk before (r = 0.271, p = 0.029) and after pasteurization (r = 0.248, p = 0.046). Potato intake showed a positive correlation with fat content in donor human milk before (r = 0.474, p < 0.001) and after the milk had been pasteurized (r = 0.443, p < 0.001). Discussion: These results highlight the importance of monitoring human milk donors’ nutrition to optimize their nutritional status and donated milk composition.