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Influence of breastfeeding versus formula feeding on lymphocyte subsets in infants at risk of coeliac disease: the PROFICEL study

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Abstract

Purpose

In addition to genetic risk, environmental factors might influence coeliac disease (CD) development. We sought to assess the effect of the interaction between milk-feeding practices and the HLA-DQ genotype on peripheral lymphocyte subsets and their activation markers in infants at familial risk for CD.

Methods

170 newborns were classified in 3 different genetic risk groups (high risk, HR; intermediate risk, IR; and low risk, LR) after DQB1 and DQA1 typing. Lymphocyte subsets were studied at the age of 4 months by flow cytometry analysis.

Results

79 infants were receiving exclusive breastfeeding (BF) and 91 partial breastfeeding or formula feeding (FF). Regarding genetic risk, 40 infants were classified in HR group, 75 in IR group and 55 in LR group. Two-way ANOVA did not show significant interactions between the type of milk feeding and genetic risk group on the lymphocyte subsets analysed. One-way ANOVA for milk-feeding practice alone showed that the percentage of CD4 + CD25+ cells was significantly higher in BF group than in FF group (BF, 10.92 ± 2.71; FF, 9.94 ± 2.96; p = 0.026), and absolute counts of CD4 + CD38+ cells were significantly higher in FF group than in BF group (FF, 2,881.23 ± 973.48; BF, 2,557.95 ± 977.06; p = 0.038). One-way ANOVA for genetic risk alone showed that absolute counts of NK cells were significantly higher in IR group than HR and LR groups (IR, 539.24 ± 340.63; HR, 405.01 ± 239.53; LR, 419.86 ± 262.85; p = 0.028).

Conclusion

Lymphocyte subset profiles in the early stages of life could be modulated by milk-feeding practices and genetic risk separately. Breastfeeding might have a positive immunomodulatory effect on lymphocyte subsets in infants at risk of CD.

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Abbreviations

CD:

Coeliac disease

PCR-SPP:

Polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific primers

HLA:

Human leucocyte antigen

Treg:

Regulatory T cells

NK:

Natural killer

LR:

Low genetic risk

IR:

Intermediate genetic risk

HR:

High genetic risk

BF:

Breastfeeding

FF:

Formula/mixture feeding

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the statistician Dr. Laura Barrios in the statistical analysis. Supported by grants AGL2007-66126-C03-01/ALI, AGL2007-66126-C03-02/ALI and AGL2007-66126-C03-03/ALI, from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and grants 200570F0091 and 200570F0093 from CSIC. T. Pozo and G. de Palma were recipients of a personal grant from the JAE/I3P Program of CSIC (Spain).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Immunonutrition Group, Department of Metabolism and Nutrition, Institute of Food Science, Technology and Nutrition (ICTAN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), C/Jose Antonio Novais 10, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Tamara Pozo-Rubio, Jorge R. Mujico, Ascensión Marcos & Esther Nova

  2. Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (CSIC) and CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Valencia, Spain

    Amalia Capilla & Francesc Palau

  3. Microbial Ecophysiology and Nutrition Group, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, Spanish National Research Council (IATA-CSIC), Valencia, Spain

    Giada de Palma & Yolanda Sanz

  4. Gastroenterology and Paediatric Nutrition Service, Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain

    Isabel Polanco

  5. Gastroenterology Unit, Hospital Universitario Infantil Niño Jesús, Madrid, Spain

    Maria Dolores García-Novo

  6. Paediatric Gastroenterology Unit, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain

    Gemma Castillejo

  7. Gastroenterology Unit, Hospital Infantil Universitario La Fe, Valencia, Spain

    Carmen Ribes-Koninckx

  8. Paediatric Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Hepatology, Hospital Universitario Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Vicente Varea

  9. Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Unit, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

    Luis Ortigosa

  10. Nutrition Research Group, Department of Clinical Sciences, Centre for Health Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, PO Box 550, 35080, Las Palmas, Spain

    Luis Peña-Quintana

Authors
  1. Tamara Pozo-Rubio
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  2. Amalia Capilla
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  3. Jorge R. Mujico
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  4. Giada de Palma
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  5. Ascensión Marcos
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  6. Yolanda Sanz
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  7. Isabel Polanco
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  8. Maria Dolores García-Novo
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  9. Gemma Castillejo
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  11. Vicente Varea
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  14. Luis Peña-Quintana
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  15. Esther Nova
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Correspondence to Esther Nova.

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Pozo-Rubio, T., Capilla, A., Mujico, J.R. et al. Influence of breastfeeding versus formula feeding on lymphocyte subsets in infants at risk of coeliac disease: the PROFICEL study. Eur J Nutr 52, 637–646 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-012-0367-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-012-0367-8

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