Maternal high-fat diet during lactation and its effects on milk oligosaccharides and early-life gut microbiota

In this study, rat mothers were fed a control diet or a high-fat diet during lactation, immediately after giving birth. Investigating the gut microbiota of their pups revealed a significantly higher richness and phylogenetic diversity in the pups breastfed by mothers on a high-fat diet than in the pups breastfed by mothers on a low-fat diet, and distinct grouping with statistical significance, depending on maternal diet, was observed when investigating their beta-diversity. The study demonstrated a significant effect of maternal diet during lactation on the offspring gut microbiota, potentially mediated by changes in milk oligosaccharide content and types.